School district must release school bus video in heat suit

BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A southern Michigan school district has been ordered to release school bus surveillance footage in a lawsuit alleging that a driver forced students to sit in extreme heat as punishment for behaving badly.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain ordered Northwest Community Schools last week to release the video, but said the plaintiff must pay the district to redact the video to remove students from view.

MLive.com reports the suit says a bus driver drove around unnecessarily for nearly an hour in August, forced students to close bus windows and possibly turned on the heat.

District officials argued the video couldn't be released without parental permission, but the judge found that the video can be released while maintaining student privacy.

Superintendent Geoff Bontrager says the district was weighing an appeal.

Published: Tue, Dec 18, 2018