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Cumberland County parents react after teens say bus left them

The parents of two Cumberland County teens are upset after they say a school bus driver left their children by the side of the road, miles from home.

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The parents of two Cumberland County teens are upset after they say a school bus driver left their children by the side of the road, miles from home.

The incident occurred on Melstone Drive in Fayetteville near a railroad crossing on April 28.

The driver of the bus called 911 just after 3 p.m. to report students fighting on the bus. “We are stopped by a train,” the driver said.

Cinda Ammons said her 15-year old son was on-board when a fight broke out. For fear of retaliation, the teen asked that his name not be used.

“Things were getting out of control,” he said.

To get away from the fight, the boy and his neighbor, a 16-year-old girl, exited the bus.

“As things got to its peak, I could not take it anymore,” the boy said.

Ammons said the bus driver decided to take the students back to Pine Forest High.

In a 911 call, the bus driver can be heard in the background saying, “You wanna get back on?”

Jodi Beyer, the parent of the 16-year-old girl, said the driver was asking the teens if they wanted to get back on the bus. The teens said no.

Once the train cleared, the bus driver left and the teens said they were left behind more than eight miles from home. One of the teens had a cell phone and called a grandparent to pick them up after waiting more than 15 minutes to see if the bus would return.

“I have never seen my child so distraught,” Ammons said.

Ammons and Beyer say their children were too afraid to get back on the bus.

Officials with Cumberland County Schools said they would not comment on the incident due to an ongoing investigation.

Officials said the students involved in the fight have been disciplined.

Attempts by WRAL News to contact the bus driver were unsuccessful.

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