Florida Parent Charged After District Says She Boarded School Bus, Hit Driver With Water Bottle
A Florida parent is facing a felony battery charge after a school district official said she boarded her child’s school bus and struck the driver with a water bottle following a missed pickup earlier that day.
Lisa Brown, 32, was arrested Friday evening and later released on $1,000 bond, WEAR News reported. The Escambia County school district identified the driver only as Miss Jackson.
Escambia County Public Schools Transportation Director Darlene Hart told the station that the dispute began Friday morning, when a Bellview Middle School student was running toward a bus stop. The driver had already picked up other students and began pulling away while the child was beside the bus in an area Hart described as the driver’s blind spot.
Hart said Brown later called the district, complained that the driver had left her child in the rain, and threatened to retaliate that afternoon if the situation was not addressed.
When the bus returned to the stop that afternoon, students were still getting off when Brown allegedly approached it yelling. Hart said Brown pushed past several children and boarded the bus.
Back On Board
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Hart said Brown was screaming and cursing at Jackson before throwing water from a bottle onto her.
She then allegedly threw the bottle itself, striking the driver.
“She took the water bottle that she had in her hand, and she just slung water all over the driver,” Hart told WEAR. Hart said Brown then threw the bottle at Jackson, hit her, cursed at her, and walked off the bus.
The confrontation unfolded in front of students. Hart said several immediately began asking Jackson whether she was OK because they were worried about her.
“They were concerned, they were afraid for their driver,” Hart said.
Staying Put
The district’s code of conduct prohibits unauthorized people from entering school buses. Hart said Jackson nevertheless did not want the incident to take her away from the students on her route.
“She said, ‘No, I love these kids and they love me,'” Hart recalled. “‘I’ve never had a problem with this child, I don’t want to switch routes.'”
Brown was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a felony battery charge and released on $1,000 bond later that evening, according to WEAR.
The station reported that it was working to obtain the arrest report. Brown is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
