Maryland bus driver lets a student rescue an injured kitten. Then she is removed from her route: ‘She is an angel’
A little kindness, a whole lot of consequences.
A Maryland school bus driver has lost her longtime route after letting a student rescue an injured kitten. Cynthia Morgan’s decision to stop along a rural road in Harford County has now left her off the route, with parents demanding that she be allowed back behind the wheel.
According to CBS News Baltimore, Morgan allegedly allowed a child to step off the bus and retrieve the kitten along Heaps School Road. She confirmed the incident to the outlet, saying she was devastated by her removal.
The rescue might sound like a sweet story about helping a kitten, but the aftermath hasn’t been nearly as heartwarming. Parents acknowledge that letting a child off the bus was a safety risk, although some believe removing Morgan after more than a decade was taking things too far.
Parents defend the bus driver after kitten rescue
The incident happened along a rural stretch of Heaps School Road, where parents say traffic is generally light. Carolyn Kalambihis’ children rode Morgan’s bus for five years, and she believes the location matters when judging what happened.
“We live in North Harford, so it’s very rural out here, off of Heaps School Road, a very low-traffic road,” she told CBS News Baltimore. Kalambihis added that Morgan wouldn’t have let a child retrieve the kitten if the road had been busier.
Still, even Morgan’s supporters aren’t pretending the decision was risk-free. “It’s definitely a concern for safety. There is no question that it was a mistake,” Kalambihis acknowledged, adding that she believes the driver understands she shouldn’t have allowed the student off the bus.
For Kalambihis, though, that mistake doesn’t erase the years Morgan spent looking after the children on her route. She described a driver who bought school supplies, birthday cards, and holiday gifts out of her own pocket, simply because she enjoyed making the kids happy.
“She is an angel. She is the most caring person,” Kalambihis said. As for the other parents who trusted Morgan with their children for years, losing her over an incident involving a rescued kitten is difficult to accept. After all, seeing someone lose a job or even being at risk of job loss due to kindness tends to be a confusing concept.
Not every kitten found alone needs rescuing, though. According to the ASPCA, mother cats sometimes leave their kittens unattended while searching for food. In the case of an injured kitten, that is a different story. The organization advises people to seek veterinary help when a kitten appears hurt or sick. In Morgan’s case, the animal was reportedly injured, although its condition afterward hasn’t been confirmed.
Parents aren’t giving up on getting their bus driver back
In a statement to CBS News Baltimore, the district explained that certification and decertification decisions may involve multiple circumstances and requirements. Meanwhile, Kalambihis and other parents are circulating a petition asking for Morgan’s return. “We just feel the way that it was handled was not appropriate,” Kalambihis said, describing the decision as an overreaction.
According to the Independent, a district letter cited “multiple incidents” involving Morgan, including concerns about inappropriate interactions with students. The letter also reportedly revealed that she had driven with the cat on her lap. For the parents defending Morgan, the kitten rescue was a mistake worth addressing, but not one they believe should wipe away 11 years of kindness toward the children she drove to school.
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