A bus driver in the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District has resigned after surveillance video surfaced of her driving away, leaving behind a child just about to board the Monday morning bus.
Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Superintendent Bryan Lane said Friday he was contacted by the mother of the child on Monday, and sent a video of the incident. He contacted Steve’s School Bus Company, which provides transportation for the district, and assured he had also seen the video.
The video, which was later posted to social media, shows Bryanna Guitard, 11, waiting for the bus outside her home. When the bus pulls up, another child boards the bus ahead of her, but before she can step on, the doors close and the bus drives away.
Lane said he had made the School Board aware of the incident and was deciding on next steps.
“In the contract we have with the bus company, we can request the removal of a driver if that driver is not in the best interest of the district, and that was being considered,” Lane said.
Steve Brown, owner of Steve’s Bus Company, informed Lane Wednesday evening the driver had resigned.
In a statement released to WMUR and posted on the WMUR Facebook page, the student’s mother, Kelley Guitard requested not to be contacted further about the incident, saying she posted the video to social media after the responses she received after reporting the incident to the school and to the bussing company.
“It was not my intent to have the bus driver resign but she apparently felt that was her best recourse. For the record, this was not my word against hers and I feel our security camera video speaks for itself,” Guitard wrote. “If improved safety training for the bus drivers is the eventual outcome of this whole thing then I am grateful and relieved as I am sure any parent would be.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.