Guntown parents complain after bus driver leaves children to walk 3 miles

In Guntown, Mississippi, parents are asking questions after a school bus driver left a group of students to walk a long distance to their homes. James and Ann Lofton said their 11-year-old daughter was told to get off the bus. She was not the only one. Several other children in the group were forced to make the same trip.

The route home measured three miles. The family described the roads as dangerous. They said the driver gave the order without explaining why. The children walked along the side of the road to reach their neighborhoods. The Loftons learned about the situation when they received a phone call from their daughter.

Ann Lofton questioned the logic of the decision. She noted that parents send children on buses with the expectation of safety. “You put your children out to catch the bus, you expect them to be safe on the bus,” she said. “You expect them to get to school safely, you expect them to get home safely, and then you get a phone call [saying] they’re walking down the side of the road. How is that keeping them safe?”

The family reported the event to the Lee County School District. Superintendent Coke Magee reviewed the complaint. The district then suspended the driver for five days. In a written statement, the district confirmed it was aware of the incident. “We are aware of this, and it is being handled as a personnel issue,” the statement read.

James Lofton believes the punishment was too light. He said he wants the people in charge to be fired. “That’s bull. It is bull crap. I think all their jobs, the superintendent, the one over the buses. I think they all need to be fired,” he said. “Because they’re hired to keep our kids safe. Instead, they put them out on the side of the road.”

The Loftons also contacted law enforcement. Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said investigators looked into the case. They have not found evidence to support criminal charges against the driver. The family is now looking for a lawyer. They are considering their next legal steps.

James Lofton said he is acting on behalf of the whole community. “I’m not only protecting my kids by doing this. I’m protecting your kid, the neighbor’s kid, and the kid down the street,” he said. “What happens when one of these kids gets killed? I will take action, as in the court of law. Because it’s not just my kid. It’s the community’s kids.”