Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
School bus driver removed for prank
Doll found hanging at a bus stop raises concerns
WEST BRADFORD >> Everyone deserves one good scare on Halloween, according to the 1978 movie. But parents were unamused by one Halloween prank that they described as disturbing.
Families who live in Stargazer Village in Romansville noticed on Thursday night a white doll hanging from a stop sign at the bus stop for Downingtown Area School District students.
When parents approached it, they noticed a note addressed to two children who live in that area. The baby doll had a pen
cil through her head, and some fake blood. Several parents were immediately concerned and some had wondered if it was a prank. Regardless, the parents removed the doll and the note, because they did not want their children to see it in the morning when they waited at the bus stop.
As neighbors talked to each other about it, some said they saw the school bus driver place the doll there. According to one of them, their child said the same “creepy doll” was hung at the bus stop last October. Another said that the school bus driver is interested in Halloween, which led parents to believe it was a prank. However, many of the parents expressed concerns over an adult thinking it was okay to do such a prank.
The residents in the West Bradford area contacted the school district and the transportation department. When reached for comment, school district officials said on Friday that they were made aware on Thursday evening of a doll attached to a stop sign at a DASD bus stop in Romansville. The doll was defaced and a note was attached including two names. Upon investigation, a Krapf School Bus driver admitted to placing the doll and indicated it was meant to be a prank. Krapf is contracted with the district to provide buses and bus drivers. At the time, the driver was employed by Krapf and was driving a bus for the district, according to district officials.
Christopher Brown, DASD supervisor of transportation, talked with Krapf School Bus and has stipulated that this driver will not be permitted to drive any buses for Downingtown School District. As the driver is an employee of Krapf School Bus, the district does not have authority in personnel matters at Krapf. Krapf was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
“Whether it is an employee, volunteer or contractor, DASD expects our staff to model appropriate behavior for our students,” Brown said. “The actions of this bus driver were inappropriate and the district does not condone this behavior. The driver will no longer be permitted to drive a bus for Downingtown Area School District.”
Shawn McGlinchey from Krapf said they are working with the school district during the investigation. He said that the driver is no longer employed with Krapf. “The driver’s behavior did not reflect the core values of our Krapf family,” McGlinchey said.
This incident follows the discovery of a black baby doll hanging in a school locker room of the Coatesville Area School District in October 2017. In both the Coatesville and Downingtown incidents, it was discovered to be a prank. When Coatesville school officials found the doll hanging with a neck tie around it, their initial concern was that the doll was intended to cause racial intimidation. During that investigation, Coatesville Area Senior High boys cross country team members admitted that they did that as a “foolish prank.” They were not allowed to finish competing that season.