Parents confronted the board at the meeting after kids were repeatedly dropped off at the wrong bus stop. A mom tried playing video of crying kids but was cut off.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A mother who was confronting the Fort Worth district about her child getting dropped off at the wrong bus stop had her microphone cut while she tried to play a video during a board meeting Tuesday night.
The incident led to a tense moment between parents and district leaders, and the meeting then went into a short recess.
It happened when Isabel Arreola went to the podium to talk about her daughter’s experience earlier this school year, when she was dropped off at the wrong bus stop in Fort Worth.
Arreola criticized district administrators, saying they blamed the mix-up on being short-staffed. Arreola then began playing a video showing chaos on a bus her child was on.
Arreola played a part of that video, letting the podium’s microphone pick up the audio before it was cut off. Seconds later, people in the audience can be heard shouting at the board to turn the microphone back on.
Board members told Arreola that “our rules do not allow for [playing a video], but we can definitely talk to you afterwards.”
RELATED: Fort Worth school bus driver removed from route after dropping students off at wrong location
The board then went on a two-minute break before moving on to a different parent on a different topic.
Fort Worth Independent School District board president Tobi Jackson told WFAA in a statement Wednesday that “District procedure does not allow pre-recorded material to be played during public comment.”
“It was important that the parent speaking understood that procedure, while at the same time her concerns were addressed,” Jackson said. “Fortunately, after calling a brief recess, we were able to resolve the issue.”
Arreola told WFAA on Wednesday morning that Fort Worth’s new school superintendent, Angélica Ramsey, was personally handling concerns from her and other parents upset about the issue. They’re looking to hear from her Wednesday about an immediate solution.
Before the meeting Tuesday, Arreola told WFAA that a bus driver dropped off students at the wrong stop three times in one month. She showed a map highlighting the wrong stops being blocks away from where the kids were supposed to be dropped off.
At that time, FWISD’s communications department sent WFAA a statement saying they did an investigation and they believe this was “an isolated incident.” They also said, “the driver was a substitute and is no longer in route.”