Righting a Wrong
Aug. 21, 2025
Dear CFISD Community:
You may have seen a news story circulating Tuesday that painted one of our bus drivers in a negative light. It is unfortunate that all the positivity throughout our first full week back to school was put aside for an attention-grabbing headline, but I wanted to set the record straight and defend our bus driver and transportation team.
On Monday morning, one of our new drivers hit a curb on a tight turn to avoid a vehicle in the opposite lane. A community member reported this to Harris County Precinct 5 Constables. Our team reviewed the video of the route multiple times and can definitively say the driver was not driving erratically, as it was reported.
Following the call, a deputy arrived in the area, pulled over the bus and asked our driver to conduct a field sobriety test, to which she complied and passed. She was asked to take another field sobriety test 45 minutes after the initial test, and she passed again. Per district procedures, the driver was sent to a clinic for drug and alcohol testing—and both tests came back negative.
Despite waiting on the bus for an extended period of time, the students were incredibly well-behaved. I attribute that to the quality of our drivers and the high expectations they set for our riders since the first day of school.
The media story created unnecessary embarrassment for this driver, and was released prior to the completion of our full investigation. It painted a negative light on the true professionalism of our CFISD bus drivers and transportation staff.
We are contacting the station management to request that a retraction be announced on air and an apology be provided to the driver whose reputation was slandered by the click-bait report that went out before all the facts were gathered. I do not hold out a lot of hope that this will be done, which is why I felt compelled to send this out in defense of a fellow staff member.
As a school superintendent, I can withstand slander as a public figure. But I cannot in good conscience sit by and watch a staff member be attacked or presented in a poor light when their actions were not poor or negatively impactful to kids. In fact, I want to thank this driver for serving CFISD students.
We know that parents choose CFISD not only for outstanding schools, but for the competence and character of our hard-working employees—including our amazing bus drivers! I continue to be proud of the incredible things happening around our district in 2025-26, and encourage our local media to look for these positive stories, as well.
In the best interest of children,
Doug Killian, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Righting a Wrong
Aug. 21, 2025
Dear CFISD Community:
You may have seen a news story circulating Tuesday that painted one of our bus drivers in a negative light. It is unfortunate that all the positivity throughout our first full week back to school was put aside for an attention-grabbing headline, but I wanted to set the record straight and defend our bus driver and transportation team.
On Monday morning, one of our new drivers hit a curb on a tight turn to avoid a vehicle in the opposite lane. A community member reported this to Harris County Precinct 5 Constables. Our team reviewed the video of the route multiple times and can definitively say the driver was not driving erratically, as it was reported.
Following the call, a deputy arrived in the area, pulled over the bus and asked our driver to conduct a field sobriety test, to which she complied and passed. She was asked to take another field sobriety test 45 minutes after the initial test, and she passed again. Per district procedures, the driver was sent to a clinic for drug and alcohol testing—and both tests came back negative.
Despite waiting on the bus for an extended period of time, the students were incredibly well-behaved. I attribute that to the quality of our drivers and the high expectations they set for our riders since the first day of school.
The media story created unnecessary embarrassment for this driver, and was released prior to the completion of our full investigation. It painted a negative light on the true professionalism of our CFISD bus drivers and transportation staff.
We are contacting the station management to request that a retraction be announced on air and an apology be provided to the driver whose reputation was slandered by the click-bait report that went out before all the facts were gathered. I do not hold out a lot of hope that this will be done, which is why I felt compelled to send this out in defense of a fellow staff member.
As a school superintendent, I can withstand slander as a public figure. But I cannot in good conscience sit by and watch a staff member be attacked or presented in a poor light when their actions were not poor or negatively impactful to kids. In fact, I want to thank this driver for serving CFISD students.
We know that parents choose CFISD not only for outstanding schools, but for the competence and character of our hard-working employees—including our amazing bus drivers! I continue to be proud of the incredible things happening around our district in 2025-26, and encourage our local media to look for these positive stories, as well.
In the best interest of children,
Doug Killian, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools