‘Kindness should be encouraged’: Parents campaign for Maryland bus driver who was fired after allowing student to rescue injured kitten

Outraged parents have rallied behind a 67-year-old school bus driver in Maryland after she was fired for allegedly allowing a student on board to exit the vehicle and rescue an injured kitten from the side of the road.

Cynthia Morgan had worked as a bus driver for Harford County Public Schools in Pylesville for 11 years. The kitten in question was spotted alongside a desolate road by Alex Thomas, the only student on board at the time. Morgan pulled over and allegedly allowed the ten-year-old boy to get off the bus and retrieve the animal. 

Following the incident, Morgan reportedly lost her certification and job, according to WMAR 2. In a statement, the Harford County school system said that it could not comment on the certification status of its drivers but claimed that the decision came after a review of the safety requirements. However, parents have since come out in criticism of the decision to let her go.

Parents support Cynthia Morgan

Some parents have even gone as far as to appeal to the school system to have Morgan reinstated, claiming that the bus driver went above and beyond. “She’s been wonderful. She’s been driving my children for five years,” said Carolyn Kalambihis, one of the parents. “We have come to know Cynthia and see how wonderfully she treats our kids and the other kids on her route,” she added.

While Morgan’s supporters admit that the bus driver potentially endangered others by allowing a potential allergen on board, as well as endangering Alex Thomas by allowing him to exit the vehicle, they claim the road was empty with no traffic. “We live in an extremely rural area,” Kalambihis claimed. “I know she would not have let a child out on a road where there was cars. There’s no cars.”

A petition jas since been launched to get Morgan reinstated, and so far it has had over 11,000 signatures. “The decision to terminate Cynthia Morgan seems to be unjust,” Julie Long, the petition starter wrote. “With her track record and undeniably caring personality a two day suspension should be enough.”

The parents weren’t the only ones to battle for Morgan to get her job back; even PETA got involved. According to the Independent, the animal rights group penned a letter in favor of Morgan, saying, “Kindness should be encouraged, not punished, and PETA is calling on the school board to reinstate Morgan and send students the right message about helping others in need.”

The outpouring of support for Cynthia Morgan has even spread across social media, with many online questioning the school system’s decision to strip the bus driver of her certificate over an act of kindness.