A Pennsylvania school bus driver lost her job, and now the whole country is talking about it. The U.S. Department of Justice is looking into the dismissal of a Pennsylvania school bus driver to see if the people who fired the Pennsylvania school bus driver broke federal law.
KOMO News reported that Diane Crawford got fired by the Juniata County School District because she put a sign on her bus that said “English Only.” The sign read, “Out of respect to English-only students, there will be no speaking Spanish on this bus.” The school district was concerned that the sign may be seen as discrimination and that it could affect how students are treated, including those who spoke Spanish.
The incident happened this fall. People started sharing pictures of the sign on the internet. Crawford explained that she made the sign because she was frustrated because she was having trouble communicating with some of the students and their parents.
Meet 66-year-old bus driver Diane Crawford.
After 30 years on the job in PA, she was fired for asking students to speak English because one student was bullying others in Spanish.
Fired for asking kids to speak English in the United States. Insane.
pic.twitter.com/3pYVlsrD7R
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 23, 2025
Newsweek says the 66-year old was targeting bilingual students who bullied other Spanish-speaking students in the bus. “I didn’t mean to be racially insensitive or anything like that,” Crawford said. She added, “Maybe it should have said, ‘No bullying in any language,’ but I didn’t mean it to be anything but to correct him.”
The school district took action fast when the sign was made public. Officials stated that the message was against to the school district policy. It also created an unwelcoming environment for students who didn’t speak English at home.
This is deeply concerning. I have directed @CivilRights to open an investigation into this situation implicating DEI wokeness. EXCLUSIVE | Juanita County bus driver fired for ‘English-only’ sign fires back https://t.co/bRHrp9kfDK
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) December 22, 2025
Crawford says that she wasn’t trying to discriminate against anyone. Per Newsweek, she said the sign was not meant to target students or immigrant families but reflected her belief that English should be the primary language used on school transportation for safety reasons. She has described her firing as unfair and politically motivated.
The issue escalated when the DOJ said they are looking into whether the district violated Crawford’s civil rights. According to KOMO News, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is investigating the matter. The department looks into situations where employers discipline workers based on protected speech or viewpoints.
Fired Bus Driver Diane Crawford Speaks Out on English-Only Sign, highlighting the need for inclusivity in our communities. Her story raises important questions about language and accessibility. pic.twitter.com/82qM3D2xp5
— EchoBravo – artist & photographer (@dodgydoges17) December 23, 2025
The case brings up a lot of questions about language rules at work and cultural differences in schools in the United States. According to The Mirror, some people think Crawford should not have been punished because she was just saying what she thought. Other people think the sign was insensitive toward kids from immigrant families.
The story found traction internationally, with The Times of India reporting that netizens are talking about how Crawford was fired. In particular, people are interested about employment law and how culture and language are dealt with in the United States. The outlet also reports that beyond Pennsylvania, people who interested in diversity and inclusion in the U.S. are paying close attention to what’s going down.
Per Newsweek, the DOJ is trying to establish whether Crawford was wrongfully terminated and the school district acted within its authority to do so. For now, the investigation remains ongoing.
The case has drawn attention to the small Pennsylvania school district. And Crawford’s dismissal continues to fuel arguments over where free expression ends and workplace responsibility begins.
