OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Police Department said it was investigating after an elementary school bus driver allegedly acted aggressively towards students and caused them to have concerns for their safety Thursday afternoon, according to Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers.
ORPD also said Friday he was arrested on an aggravated assault charge, with additional charges pending. He was identified as Matthew T. Bak, 73, from Oliver Springs. Bak was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility, and ORPD said it was continuing to investigate the incident.
In a letter sent to parents, Borchers explained the police were called and officers pulled the bus over at Utica Circle. Parents were contacted to pick up their children and all of them were safely reunited with their families.
According to the arrest report, Bak stopped the bus in the middle of the road twice and did not let any kids off. It said the kids were yelling for help.
Someone driving behind the bus reported it to ORPD around 6 p.m.
Officers reviewed camera footage on the bus, saying they could see Bak going to the back of the bus to the rear driver's side. The driver was seen telling one of the kids that he told them to sit down, saying he began speaking "in an elevated voice." The child is slumped down in their seat.
ORPD said the video then showed Bak grabbing the child's leg "and appears to be attempting to reposition" their leg. At that point, the kids on the bus can be heard screaming and "appear to be upset."
ORPD said Bak then went back to the front of the bus and can be heard saying, "shut up."
The arrest report said the child was interviewed a day later by the Child Advocacy Center in Clinton. It said the child described an action "consistent with strangulation," with the child saying they were afraid they were "going to die" and that they were never going to see their parents again.
Borchers said the bus driver's actions were "an egregious violation of the values and standards of Oak Ridge Schools."
Immediately after the incident, the school administration worked with its transportation company, First Student, to review footage from the bus and then acted "swiftly and decisively" to remove Bak from all Oak Ridge bus assignments, according to Borchers.
His employment status is ultimately decided by First Student. However, Bak will no longer be associated with the school district, Borchers said.
First Student said they began the process to terminate the driver's employment. The company's full statement about the drive is available below.
"At First Student, we take our responsibility to provide safe transportation very seriously and recognize the tremendous amount of trust parents place in us every school day. Certainly, we understand the concern the incident has caused. This sort of behavior will not be tolerated, and we have initiated the termination process."
All footage was given to ORPD and Oak Ridge Schools is assisting with the ongoing investigation in "any way that [it] can," Borchers said.
Since the incident involved the safety of minors, the Department of Child Services is aware of the incident and ongoing investigation.
The school administration is also working directly with the families of the students onboard to provide additional counseling and support.
"The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority," Borchers said.
Since there is an active investigation, the school district is limited in the details it can provide to the public but says it will continue to support the ORPD, according to Borchers.
This situation is ongoing and we will update you as we learn more.