Did 2 ‘homeless people’ sneak onto a school bus? Here’s what Wake says happened.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake County investigates how two unauthorized riders boarded a Broughton bus
- Driver discovered unassigned adolescents at route end and had them exit
- District reviews transportation safeguards amid social media rumors
The Wake County school system is investigating how two unauthorized riders got on a school bus filled with Broughton High School students last week.
A school bus driver discovered at the end of the route Thursday afternoon that two adolescents were onboard who were not assigned to that route, according to a message Broughton High Principal Janiece Dilts sent to families on Friday. Dilts told parents that the driver “immediately had them exit the bus.”
“No one was threatened or harmed in any way,” Dilts wrote. “We are currently working with the transportation department to review the matter and to ensure safeguards are in place to prevent something of this nature happening again.”
The two adolescents haven’t been identified, so it’s not known if they were Broughton students, according to Sara Clark, a school district spokesperson.
Rumors of homeless people on the school bus
Rumors have circulated on social media about last week’s incident.
“My son goes to broughton and said TWO homeless people snuck on the bus at their school today and didn’t even notice until she got to his bus stop here (off of Wycliff),” Rachel Gibson posted on Nextdoor. “Do any of your kids ride the bus that can confirm this?”
Concerns have escalated since the January murder of Zoe Welsh in her Raleigh home less than a half-mile from Broughton’s campus. Broughton is located off St. Mary’s Street near downtown Raleigh in what’s now called the Village District.
Welsh’s accused killer has a history of mental health issues and is described in court records and by Welsh in a 911 call as being homeless. Several people referenced the murder of the beloved Ravenscroft School teacher in the comments on the Broughton Nextdoor post.
Only authorized bus riders should board
In Wake County, students are only supposed to ride on their assigned bus. Parents are supposed to submit requests in writing to have their children ride a different bus for the day.
Bus drivers are supposed to monitor who is getting on their bus. Cameras on the bus record who is getting on or off.
Wake has talked about using a system that would require students to scan an ID card before getting on or off the bus. But implementation has been delayed.
