VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach police are investigating after a woman "in distress" walked onto a Birdneck Elementary school bus with kids onboard Wednesday morning, city school officials said.
According to a message sent to the parents of students, the woman boarded the bus wearing a mask and carrying a bag and scissors. The bus driver intervened and was able to get the kids off the bus safely.
"Pretty much all the kids were terrified, naturally, even the fifth graders were crying who are the big kids to her," Michelle Copeland said, who's elementary-age daughter was one of the passengers on the bus at the time the woman came on board.
The students were eventually transferred onto another bus and taken to the school, and police responded immediately and got the woman off the bus.
"We want to commend our bus driver for her handling of the incident," the message read. "She helped to de-escalate the situation until police arrived."
When describing the incident to her mom, Copeland's daughter told her the woman "didn't say a word" and "had a blank look on her face."
Virginia Beach police said the woman has been detained and charges are pending. The incident remains under investigation.
A spokesperson for Virginia Beach City Public Schools said incidents like this one are "extremely rare" on the city's school buses.
When asked about training and protocol for these types of situations, the spokesperson said school bus drivers get trained during their initial classes and onboarding. The drivers also get additional training at in-service meetings a minimum of twice a year.