An Upper Darby school bus driver is accused of duct taping a child to a seat on her bus.
Juliet Pratt, 54, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and assault.
On Wednesday, March 8, Upper Darby Police officers responded to Hillcrest Elementary School in Drexel Hill for a report of a 10-year-old boy assaulted by a bus driver who they later identified as Pratt. Surveillance video showed Pratt restraining the student with duct tape around his ankles and chest on her bus, investigators said. The student was seated on the bus in the district-supplied safety harness, according to police.
“Bus drivers are entrusted with enormous responsibility every time they get behind the wheel. In addition to being safe drivers, we also expect them to treat the children in their care with dignity and respect,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. “Using duct tape on a child who was already fully restrained in the vehicle’s harness was not only inexcusable, it was also dangerous. Had an accident occurred, this child would have been unable to free himself from the tape. There is simply no excuse for this conduct, which is why these charges have been filed.”
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Once they arrived at school, Pratt used a seat belt cutter to remove the duct tape from the child, investigators said. The footage never showed the student trying to get out of his seat or move around the bus, according to police.
“I want to thank Upper Darby Police Department Detective Kevin Knapp and Detective Sergeant Oliveri for their work on this case,” Stollsteimer said. “I also want to thank the hundreds of bus drivers who operate vehicles all over Delaware County every single day without incident. As the son of a SEPTA bus driver, I know firsthand that it is a difficult job that rarely gets the recognition that it deserves, and we do not want this case to detract from the great job that they do in support of the children of this County.”
An attorney representing Pratt told NBC10 her actions were not malicious and that his client was trying to restrain the boy from excessively kicking the bus and other students. The attorney also said his client admitted to police she duct taped the boy once before to prevent him from kicking.
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Pratt is currently out on bond. Her formal arraignment is scheduled for the end of June.
