Teen’s friends recount the incident

BOISE -- A ValleyRide bus driver has been placed on administrative leave after a 14-year-old boy accused the driver of calling him a racial slur before kicking him off his bus last Friday.

The boy and his mother met with Valley Regional Transit authorities Tuesday to discuss the issue.

We don't know much about what went on in the meeting but we spoke to some friends of the teen boy - who does not want his name revealed.

They say he told them what happened after they saw him getting kicked off the bus. 

“We were walking home from my house and we were trying to catch a bus over to a friend's house and we were racing back to his house because the bus stop's right up here, and then we saw the bus go by and we were like ‘oh that sucks,’” said Slater Novick.

It was late in the afternoon last Friday when Jearin Dugger and Slater Novick, both 14, say they saw their friend visibly shaken after getting off a ValleyRide bus near Gillis Drive and Gary Lane.

“He just wouldn't stop crying.  He was uncontrollably sad,” said Slater.

According to Jaerin and Slater, their friend says his bus pass wasn't working, so he asked a few people if they had spare change to help him.

“He said can anybody spare some change and he (bus driver) yelled at him that he was a panhandler," said Slater.

“They were offering him money, but he told him to get off,” said Jearin.

The teenage boy told his friends the bus driver then called him the N-word and kicked him off the bus.

“He told me what he had called him, the N-word and he started crying and stuff,” said Slater.

Jaerin and Slater told their friend he could come home with them.

“He said ‘can I walk home with you guys because I need someone to talk to?” said Slater.

When they got home, Jaerin told their mom Tawnya.

“Jaerin came running in and said we need to call the bus company.  I said ‘why?’ and he said they called my friend the N-word,” said Tawnya Kinney Dugger.

That's when Tawnya says she called ValleyRide to complain.  She says as a mom she's reluctant to let her own kids ride the bus now.

“I didn't know that kind of stuff still went on.  I know there's bullying and name calling, but I didn't know in this area, that that was still happening,” said Tawnya Kinney Dugger.

ValleyRide spokesman Mark Carnopis says this is a serious allegation and they are treating it seriously.

They are conducting a full investigation and should have it wrapped up within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Carnopis says ValleyRide bus drivers receive a lot of training - especially in safety. 

He says they plan to make racial sensitivity more of a focus in their training in the future.