A man who allegedly boarded a school bus outside East Bank Middle School and smacked a 14-year-old student should never have been allowed on the bus in the first place, Kanawha school officials said Wednesday.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A man who allegedly boarded a school bus outside East Bank Middle School and smacked a 14-year-old student should never have been allowed on the bus in the first place, Kanawha school officials said Wednesday.
Kanawha Superintendent Ron Duerring said administrators would follow through on any disciplinary actions that might be deemed necessary against the bus driver, but would not go into detail, citing personnel matters.
Duerring said only students, school staff and passengers permitted for some trips, like chaperones, are allowed on school buses.
"Other than that, we shouldn't have anybody entering our buses," he said.
State Police say Joshua Shawn Beaver, 25, of Pratt, followed the school bus from Crown Hill to the parking lot at East Bank Middle School.
Beaver said students on the bus flashed the middle finger at him. On the bus surveillance video, Beaver asked the bus driver if he wanted to know which students flashed their middle finger.
"Yeah," the driver said.
Kanawha County Schools Transportation Director George Beckett did not identify the bus driver Wednesday, and said he was not sure he could.
Beaver walked onto the bus. He looked back at the students and said, "come here" to one, then told other children who were standing, "excuse me," as he began to walk toward the back of the bus. The bus driver took off his seat belt and walked toward Beaver.
Beaver saw one of the students on the bus and confronted him. Video shows the bus driver stood next to Beaver as this happened.
"Remember my name now: It's Josh Beaver," he told the student. "I appreciate you flipping me off all the way down the road."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A man who allegedly boarded a school bus outside East Bank Middle School and smacked a 14-year-old student should never have been allowed on the bus in the first place, Kanawha school officials said Wednesday.
Kanawha Superintendent Ron Duerring said administrators would follow through on any disciplinary actions that might be deemed necessary against the bus driver, but would not go into detail, citing personnel matters.
Duerring said only students, school staff and passengers permitted for some trips, like chaperones, are allowed on school buses.
"Other than that, we shouldn't have anybody entering our buses," he said.
State Police say Joshua Shawn Beaver, 25, of Pratt, followed the school bus from Crown Hill to the parking lot at East Bank Middle School.
Beaver said students on the bus flashed the middle finger at him. On the bus surveillance video, Beaver asked the bus driver if he wanted to know which students flashed their middle finger.
"Yeah," the driver said.
Kanawha County Schools Transportation Director George Beckett did not identify the bus driver Wednesday, and said he was not sure he could.
Beaver walked onto the bus. He looked back at the students and said, "come here" to one, then told other children who were standing, "excuse me," as he began to walk toward the back of the bus. The bus driver took off his seat belt and walked toward Beaver.
Beaver saw one of the students on the bus and confronted him. Video shows the bus driver stood next to Beaver as this happened.
"Remember my name now: It's Josh Beaver," he told the student. "I appreciate you flipping me off all the way down the road."
The boy said he did it only once, but Beaver said he flashed his middle finger more than once.
Beaver turned to a second student on the other side of the aisle and said, "You too, boy. My name's Josh Beaver. You know me now."
State Police said Beaver then smacked a 14-year-old in the back of the head. It was unclear in the video whom was struck, as the view was obstructed.
The bus driver, with Beaver following behind, then walked to the front of the bus. As the driver sat down, Beaver talked briefly with students before he walked off the bus.
Beckett said the man obviously should not have been allowed on the school bus. "Could it have been done better? Yes," he said.
Beckett said school bus drivers across Kanawha County would be sent a memo reminding them who should and should not enter a bus.
"I'm not jumping to conclusions, but certainly it would be appropriate for a bus driver to keep a stranger from getting on the bus or make an effort to get him off the bus," said school board general counsel Jim Withrow.
He said Kanawha school officials weren't pleased that State Police released the surveillance video to media on Tuesday. A state trooper stationed in Belle said early Wednesday afternoon that he was no longer authorized to release the surveillance video.
State Police charged Beaver with assault of a child near a school, which carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison. Kanawha Magistrate Paris Workman arraigned Beaver Tuesday and set bail at $5,000 cash only for the felony charge. Beaver, who was transported to the South Central Regional Jail, has also been charged with an unrelated misdemeanor for making harassing telephone calls.
Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.
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