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Idaho School Bus Driver Fired After Being Caught On Camera Pouring Water On Spanish-Speaking Student

By Angelica N. Sumter
Published on: 14:04 PST, Sep 4, 2016

The Northside Bus Company confirmed that school bus driver Mary Black from Jerome, Idaho, who was caught on camera as she poured water on a Spanish-speaking student while demanding he speak English, was fired.

According to the New York Daily News, the incident began just shortly after Black accused Miguel Martinez of throwing a water bottle while riding on the school bus. Jerome High School freshman Brayan Alverez was also accused.

The school bus driver accused the teen of motivating Martinez to throw the water bottle, but both students claim the allegations were not true. When a confrontation between the bus driver and the student began, Alverez recorded the incident.

“She tried to take his phone away and when she didn’t get to do that, she just grabbed the water bottle and started getting him wet,” said Alverez.

However, moments before the bus driver allegedly poured water on the student, in the video, she could be heard telling Martinez that she wouldn’t want to touch him because she didn’t want to get any of his cooties.

When Martinez began speaking in Spanish, Black informed him that he was living in America, where the English language is spoken. If he wanted to address her, he would have to do it in English, as she was not willing to learn the Spanish language to interact with him.

Facebook user Michael Noyola was outraged by the school bus driver’s comments, saying that “English is the main language but not the first, Spanish was spoken in this land centuries before white people came here, so if you don’t like it, go back to Europe.”

“What makes people think that using another language make them less intelligent when it’s really the exact opposite,” said another Facebook user, Jeff White. “They hate us because they are not us!”

Alverez stated that “she tried to take his phone away and when she didn’t get to do that, she just grabbed the water bottle and started getting him wet.”

Juan Espino, who is a friend of the Alverez family, stated that this was not the first incident where the school bus driver did something of that nature.

However, he went on to say that “when I talked to one of the other kids, he told me that when that took place the driver would turn when something like that happened, the driver would turn the cameras off.”

Therefore, as soon as there was evidence of wrong-doing, he posted the video on Facebook.

After posting the video via Facebook, Espino said, “It’s not something that we wish for and not something that I would want to. But there will be consequences in everything that you do in life, there will be consequences.”

The video sparked social media outrage, with some calling the school bus driver racist. Other users have stated that this is the work of Donald Trump.

Social media user Indygrl 76 said, “WTF is wrong with people. Oh yeah, Trump.”

Another person said, “Trump’s America.”

Twitter user Jimmy Malone tweeted, “I am stunned by the ignorance of some people. I’m glad they fired this pathetic fool.”

Phill Allen, who is a Facebook user, wrote, “What disgusts me is this is in my home state of Idaho but again racism exists everywhere! It really bothers me we have people like this working with or for our youth. Sad!”

Espino later contacted the Northside Bus Company about the incident, and after reviewing the video, they initially informed Espino that there “was no evidence.”

When reporters contacted the company on Saturday, they stated that although further details about the incident cannot be divulged as it is a personnel matter, they can confirm that the school bus driver has been fired following the incident.

[Photo by iStock]

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