A 67-year-old school bus driver in Maryland has lost her route after allowing a 10-year-old student to rescue an injured kitten from the side of a rural road, prompting parents and community members to campaign for her reinstatement.
According to CBS News Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun and The Independent, the incident has sparked a debate over student safety, disciplinary action and the circumstances surrounding the driver’s removal. Cynthia Morgan, who has driven school buses for Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) for 11 years, was removed from her route earlier this week after the incident on Heaps School Road in Pylesville, Maryland. The decision has drawn criticism from families who say Morgan had built strong relationships with the children she transported over the years.
What happened on the rural Maryland road?
The incident occurred when 10-year-old Alex Thomas spotted a kitten on the roadside while travelling on Morgan’s school bus. According to The Baltimore Sun, Morgan stopped the vehicle and allowed the boy to retrieve the animal.Alex was the only student on the bus at the time. He carried the kitten with him until they reached North Harford Elementary School, after which Morgan took responsibility for the animal. The decision to let a child leave the bus has since become the central issue in the dispute.
While some parents have argued that the rescue was a compassionate response to an animal in distress, others acknowledge that school transport safety rules exist to prevent potentially dangerous situations.Footage from the rural road, reviewed by CBS News Baltimore, showed little traffic at the location. However, the low-traffic conditions have not eliminated concerns about allowing a student to leave a school bus during a journey.
Parents rally behind the longtime driver
Morgan’s removal has prompted several parents to support her return, with a petition calling for her reinstatement attracting hundreds of signatures by October 9. Alex’s mother, Taffy Thomas, has backed the driver, saying her son would have been deeply upset if he had been unable to help the kitten. She believes the decision to remove Morgan has had an emotional impact on the child.Other parents have also highlighted Morgan’s longstanding involvement with students beyond her driving duties.
Carolyn Kalambihis, whose three children travelled on Morgan’s bus for five years, described her as someone who regularly went out of her way to make children feel welcome. According to Kalambihis, Morgan purchased school supplies for students at the beginning of the academic year and gave them gifts during holidays and birthday cards on their special days, using her own money.Although parents have questioned the severity of the disciplinary action, some have also acknowledged the safety concerns raised by the incident.
Their argument is that the matter could have been addressed through a different form of disciplinary action rather than removing a familiar and valued driver from her route.
School district cites safety responsibilities
Harford County Public Schools has maintained that student safety remains its priority. In statements reported by CBS News Baltimore and The Baltimore Sun, the district explained that decisions concerning the certification of school bus drivers can involve multiple circumstances and requirements rather than a single incident.The distinction is important because Morgan was employed by Cleary Transportation Inc., an independent contractor, rather than directly by the school district. HCPS is nevertheless responsible for certifying drivers who transport students on its behalf.A report by The Baltimore Sun also revealed that an October 5 letter from the district’s transportation director to the contractor referred to multiple incidents involving Morgan, including concerns about inappropriate interactions with students.
The letter reportedly cited the kitten incident as part of the review of her certification.According to the report, the district reviewed footage of the journey and noted that Morgan had allowed the student to retrieve the kitten and subsequently kept the animal on board. Morgan maintained that she had not placed the child at risk and defended her actions during a meeting with district officials. The broader circumstances cited in the letter suggest that the decision may not have been based solely on the kitten rescue, although the district has not publicly detailed all the factors involved in Morgan’s case.Cleary Transportation directed media enquiries to the school district, while HCPS declined to discuss the individual driver’s certification status. As the petition continues to draw support, the dispute remains unresolved. For the families campaigning for Morgan’s return, the incident has raised questions about how school transport safety requirements are enforced and whether disciplinary decisions can account for the circumstances surrounding an individual case.