Higley bus driver defends record

With a smile on her face, the bus driver accused of aggravated assault on board a Higley Unified School District bus on Feb. 15 completed her first day back at work on Wednesday.

Police report, 911 call released in bus feud
Bus feud 911 calls 1 2 3
Special report:  Misbehaving kids, drivers spell chaos on  schoolbuses
Gilbert police request charges in bus scuffle
Higley sends parents letter about bus incident
VIDEO: Girl and her mother talk about bus incident
Higley district stands behind bus driver in feud
VIDEO: Watch Tribune's Nicole Beyer report
VIDEO: Teen girl, school bus driver scuffle
VIDEO: Videos shows driver, student altercation (*Warning* Video contains language that might be offensive to some viewers)

Denise Birdwell, a district spokeswoman, said 54-year-old Kim Sullivan is not driving school buses, but has been reassigned.

Birdwell said Sullivan was acting on "behalf of providing safety" and used "reasonable force."

District policy prohibits students from entering the driver's area while the bus is running.

In the school bus scuffle, a surveillance video shows Sullivan's youngest daughter, 16-year-old Erin Sullivan, come to her mother's defense by pulling 15-year-old Samantha Taylor's hair and shoving her. That's after the bus driver said Taylor pushed her to get her cell phone.

"I think it's what anybody would do for their mom," Erin Sullivan said.

Kim Sullivan defended her history as a bus driver. She said she started driving for the district in August, but she's been around kids all her life.

"I was a nanny for 15 years," said Sullivan, a mother of five. She shook her head when asked whether she would discuss the charges she faces. But when asked about her family, she smiled and said, "Yeah, they're fine."

Erin Sullivan said, "It's just stressful with all the reporters and stuff." She said she is still completing her 10-day suspension from school.

"This is really about my mom, and I appreciate the fact that people are supporting her," she said.

The incident took place near Higley and Queen Creek roads and escalated into a melee involving the Sullivans and other students on the bus.

At one point in the video, Kim Sullivan is seen taking a cell phone from Taylor, turning it off and tossing it to the side. Taylor was trying to leave the bus at an unauthorized stop and was using the phone to call her mother.

The two are seen scuffling for several seconds in the video before Erin Sullivan charges down the bus aisle and attacks Taylor, screaming, "Get off my mom."

Erin Sullivan later says in the video: "Mom, get off her."

Gilbert police have asked the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to charge Kim Sullivan with aggravated assault (intentional touching of a child 15 and younger) and disorderly conduct - fighting; Samantha Taylor with aggravated assault of a school employee and disorderly conduct - fighting; and Cassandra Schlosser, 14, and Erin Sullivan, both with disorderly conduct - fighting.

—
ABC15 News contributed to this report.