Ohio bus driver Jackie Miller apologizes, defends outburst after viral video
An Ohio school bus driver has resigned from her job after a video of her yelling at students went viral on social media.
Former Amherst bus driver Jackie Miller was caught on camera using profanities and shouting at students, which has since been viewed millions of times. In an interview with WKYC 3 Studios in Cleveland, Miller apologized for her actions but also defended them, saying that a core group of students had been purposefully instigating her for the last two years.
"I'm sorry for the way this went down. I truly am," Miller said. "I do apologize for my actions, but I won't take it back."
She also said that strong fragrances triggered her asthma attacks, which led to the incident captured on video. Miller cited behavior like this as the reason behind the nationwide bus driver shortage.
"This is a plight of all bus drivers. We are treated in the worst possible sense of the word," Miller said. "We are treated with such lack of respect."
Despite her resignation, Miller has received support from the community, including a Vermilion apparel company printing some of what she said on a t-shirt, with $5 from each sale being donated to her. A GoFundMe for Miller's "retirement fund" started by Jeff Grob, of Vermilion, has raised more than $88,000 as of Friday morning.
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio bus driver Jackie Miller defends outburst after viral video
