Bus monitor found guilty; gets job back

The bus monitor who threw those two teens off the bus was found guilty. Still, she got her job back with New Hanover County schools. Angela McIntyre was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile yesterday and she’s still employed with New Hanover County schools.

“I’m very angry that she’s got her job back,” says Bill Watson.

Angela McIntyre was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile yesterday and she’s still employed with New Hanover County schools.

“When Ms. McIntyre was on the stand yesterday, pleading her case, she made a point to let everybody in the courtroom know that she got her job back,” says Watson.

His daughter Alex says she and her friend were kicked off the bus at 8th Street between Wooster and Dawson in April because they were making fun of the monitor. They had to walk a mile and a half home.

“You can’t do that,” says Watson. “You cannot put a child, no matter where it’s at, you cannot throw them off the bus, no matter what they do.”

“It’s very regretful that it happened,” says Interim Superintendent Eddie West. But Dr. West says the decision to keep her employed is ultimately up to the school board.

“The administration recommended termination,” says West. “She requested an appeal before the board. The board overturned that recommendation for termination.”

School Board Chair Ed Higgins says he’s not allowed to talk about the matter because it’s a personnel issue.

Bus driver Doug Farrow was also fired from New Hanover County schools in May but Dr. West says Farrow did not appeal. Watson cites a different reason. “It must be a colored issue, a race issue if you will, to how she got her job back.”

Watson says the school board needs to rethink who they hire to take care of our kids. “My daughter’s told the same story since day one. The bus driver got up and told the exact same story. And Ms. McIntyre got up there and basically tried to play the nice guy and told lies constantly and that’s why she was found guilty because what she did was wrong.”

Along with a guilty sentence, McIntyre will face two years unsupervised probation. If she violates her probation, she could face 45 days in jail.