A California mother was arrested after she climbed through a school bus window to get her son.
On Monday, Aug. 24, a school bus driver stopped his bus on Highway 49 near Russell Road in Calaveras County. Officials with the Calaveras Unified School District didn’t say why the bus driver stopped.
The students were stuck on the bus for an hour before one mother took action. Cell phone video shows the woman climbing through an open window before confronting the bus driver.
Her 12-year-old son was one of the students stuck on board the bus for an hour.
Other parents broke the glass in the bus door and began pulling their children off the bus.
The woman, who was not identified, was taken into custody by police. It isn’t clear if anyone else was arrested.
A mother in California was arrested after allegedly smashing a school bus window and climbing inside to get her child, following reports that students had been stuck on the bus for about an hour. One student said kids on the bus got rowdy and that's when the driver stopped the… pic.twitter.com/cFPoJHAxWj
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 27, 2026
Jason Waite, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said a parent struck the bus door and broke the glass. The parent was taken into custody for vandalism at the district’s request.
Waite confirmed some students climbed out of the bus through open windows. He added that students should never exit a school bus through open windows if an emergency does not exist.
“This incident also serves as a reminder that school bus safety rules exist to protect students and should be followed by both students and parents,” Waite said in an email. “When concerns arise, allowing school staff and bus drivers to address them safely and appropriately can help prevent situations from escalating.”
The school district said the driver followed proper protocol by stopping the bus and keeping the children on the bus against their will.