Police: Parents blocked a NC school bus with a car after driver missed stops

T. Keung Hui, The News & Observer on Aug 6, 2026

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HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — Holly Springs police are investigating an incident in which Wake County parents responded to a school bus driver missing some bus stops by allegedly blocking the bus with a car, prompting some of the children to open an emergency exit and jump out.

A police report shows Holly Springs police officers responded shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday to a “disturbance involving a bus driver and parents” at Scotstowne Lane and Grenoch Valley Lane in Holly Springs. No charges have been filed yet, but police describe a chaotic confrontation between the driver and the parents of the elementary school students.

“Holly Springs police are currently investigating an incident where a WCPSS bus driver apparently missed some bus stops which allegedly angered parents,” according to a statement Thursday from Holly Springs police. “One parent reportedly blocked the bus with their car and other parents attempted to get their children off the bus at an undesignated stop.

“This led to some children using an emergency exit to leave the bus. Holly Springs police are coordinating with WCPSS as the incident is still under investigation.”

Bus driver ‘experienced difficulty navigating the route’

The bus was driven by a substitute driver “who experienced difficulty navigating the route,” Sarah Stephens, the principal of Middle Creek Elementary School in Apex, said in a message sent to families Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday was just the fourth day of classes in the new school year for the year-round school.

“The driver safely pulled the bus over to the side of the road while working to confirm the route before continuing,” Stephens said in the message. “While the bus was stopped, some parents of students on board who were tracking the route via the Here Comes the Bus app noticed it was stopped on the side of the road and came to the location to pick up their children.”

Stephens didn’t mention the alleged incident of parents trying to block the bus or children leaving through the emergency exit in her message. Instead, Stephens said Holly Springs police responded “to assist and help ensure the safety of our students and families.”

“We understand this situation may have been concerning for students and families, and we sincerely apologize for the delay and uncertainty this afternoon,” Stephens said. “We are reviewing what occurred to determine what next steps are needed.”

Stephens and Middle Creek Elementary were already in the national spotlight since conservative groups criticized the school’s hiring of a transgender teacher.

‘Wildly unsafe situation’

Deborah Bridger, a parent of one of the elementary school students on the bus, described Tuesday’s bus incident in a Facebook post that has gone viral.

“A bus load of terrified elementary school kids crying in the middle of a round about was not on my bingo card for the day,” Bridger said in her Facebook post on Tuesday. “All kids are ok although traumatized.”

Bridger did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday from The N&O.

In her post, Bridger placed blame for the incident on both the driver and the parents.

“I don’t think anyone handled this correctly,” Bridger wrote. “Driver, parents, or kids. This became a wildly unsafe situation as soon as those kids opened the door and everyone piled out into a road.”

—Staff writer Lexi Solomon contributed.

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