An Atlanta-area school bus driver has been placed on administrative leave and is facing criminal investigation after allegedly forcing a hapless 6-year-old girl off the bus during a violent rainstorm and leaving her alone nearly a mile from home.
Kaylani Davis, a first-grade student at Flat Rock Elementary School in DeKalb County, had to cross a busy road on May 12 in the early morning downpour before a neighbor found her screaming for help, according to 11Alive News.
“She was like, ‘Can you please help me?’” said Iasha Parker, who was checking her mailbox on Athena Drive in Stonecrest when she heard the girl screeching for help. “She said the bus driver threw me off the bus, and I said, ‘Hold on — she did what?’”
Parker knew the family and quickly called Kaylani’s mother. “I said the bus driver threw your baby off the school bus; I got your baby right here.”
Alicia McClendon, Kaylani’s mother, said she was speechless. Just moments earlier, around 6:45 a.m., she dropped off her daughter and expected her to arrive safely at school.
“I get a call 15 to 20 minutes later stating that my daughter is walking the streets in the rain, just crying and screaming for help,” McClendon said. “I’m more relieved that my baby made it home to me, but I do need answers. It could’ve been handled way better than that.”
The bus driver involved has not been publicly identified by DeKalb County Schools or law enforcement. District officials have only referred to the individual as a “transportation employee,” while an investigation remains ongoing.
It’s not clear whether a criminal case will be opened, but McClendon made it clear she intended to press charges.
According to both Kaylani and her mother, the driver became angry after the child spoke on the bus, though it’s not clear exactly what the little girl said, but her words set the driver off. “She said, ‘You know what, I’m sick and tired of you,’ and then she grabbed me and dragged me off the bus,” Kaylani recounted.
The first grader found herself alone in a blinding rain, with no clue where she was or how to get home. Desperation kicked in, then tears, then panicked screams for help.
“She was terrified, she was crying, she was screaming,” McClendon said. “She didn’t even know where she was. She didn’t know anything; she didn’t know what was going on.”
Kaylani described the ordeal as “horrible” — a hard lesson in how unforgiving the world can be, even for a 6-year-old just trying to get to school.
Parker comforted the child and took her home. “She calmed down, but she’s a child. When she saw her mama, she started crying, and I started crying too,” Parker said.
McClendon, still shaken, expressed gratitude to Parker. “Thank you for protecting my baby, you were there. Now I’m finna go to Flat Rock and we finna handle this, because this is unacceptable.”
The shock only deepened once she got to the school. According to McClendon, when she arrived, the bus driver was unloading other students and no one from the school seemed to know that Kaylani was missing.
Inside a room with the principal, school resource officers, the driver, and a transportation supervisor, McClendon was told that the driver had been explicitly instructed not to let Kaylani off the bus and leave her, as it would be considered abandonment. A separate bus was supposed to pick the child up—but it never showed.
“She deserves to be behind bars. Fired. Terminated. She needs more because it could’ve been her life,” McClendon said. “I trusted you all with her care. I cannot push that under the rug. I can’t and I won’t.”
In a statement, DeKalb County Schools acknowledged the incident and emphasized their commitment to safety:
“The safety and well-being of students and staff are the top priorities of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), which takes any allegations of inappropriate or unlawful behavior seriously,” the statement read. “On May 12, the district received allegations concerning a transportation employee’s conduct directed toward a student. Given the nature of these accusations, the employee has been placed on administrative leave and is prohibited from entering any DCSD schools, properties, or fleet vehicles while DCSD police and Employee Relations investigate the matter.”
Meanwhile, the DeKalb County Police Department has opened its own investigation.
Since the incident, Kaylani has refused to board a school bus again. Her mother now drives her to and from school.
“She’s very traumatized,” McClendon said. “It’s really shocking to us.”
