Side view of a yellow school bus

Cynthia Morgan, 67, Drove a Harford County School Bus for 11 Years, Then Lost Her Job After Letting a 10-Year-Old Off to Rescue an Injured Kitten

ByVictoria Hours

“It’s just common sense to help the kitten.” That is how 10-year-old Alex Thomas explained what happened on his Harford County school bus on Sept. 30, the morning his bus driver, Cynthia Morgan, let him step off to pick up a kitten from the road, The Baltimore Banner reported.

Within days, Morgan, 67, had been suspended. Her employer, Cleary’s Transportation Co., later confirmed she no longer works there, ending an 11-year run driving Harford County Public Schools routes and setting off a push by parents, a petition and PETA to get her back behind the wheel.

A Kitten in the Road

Students on Morgan’s route knew her as “Ms. Cynthia.” Alex, a fifth grader at North Harford Elementary School, told the Banner that Morgan spotted a kitten in the road and told him to come look. He said he got off the bus after a stop was signaled and no traffic was coming.

Morgan dropped the students at school, then drove back to Alex’s home to hand the kitten to his mother, Taffy Thomas, according to the Banner. The kitten, black with blotchy orange markings and about the size of a bag of Party Mix, is now named Brookie and is with a foster family.

WJZ, in a report republished by Fox Carolina, described the animal as an injured kitten.

Suspended, Then Out of a Job

Taffy Thomas told the Banner that Morgan texted her afterward to say she had been suspended for a few days. Thomas said the thought that her son might be in danger never crossed her mind.

Cleary’s Transportation, which contracts with the school system, told the Banner through a phone representative that she no longer works for the company.

Harford County Public Schools spokesperson Jillian Lader told the Banner that decisions to certify or decertify drivers and attendants are made after reviewing all relevant information and “are not always based on a single factor.” School board president Lauren Paige said she understood the wish to help an animal, but that letting a student into a roadway raises “legitimate safety concerns.”

Contractors run most of the system’s routes. According to HCPS’s transportation department, 408 of its general education buses are owned and operated by contractors, and the system moves more than 32,000 students a day.

Parents, a Petition and PETA

Families on the route pushed back quickly. “It shouldn’t have happened,” parent Carolyn Kalambihis told WJZ. The school district, in its statement to the station, said student safety remains its top priority.

Julie Long started a petition calling for Morgan’s return, and by Oct. 15 it had passed 11,000 signatures, according to the Banner. Long has also raised more than $3,000 on GoFundMe to help Morgan with her bills and described her as a “down-to-earth, real person.”

Long, a grandparent of children on Morgan’s route, has also appealed the decision, WMAR-2 News reported on Oct. 14. If the appeal is denied, supporters plan to take the matter to the school board at upcoming meetings.

PETA sent its own letter to the Harford County Board of Education arguing that student safety and compassion can coexist and that the rescue should not have cost Morgan her certification. “Kindness shouldn’t be punished,” PETA associate director Colin Henstock told WMAR.

What Maryland’s Rules Say

School bus drivers in Maryland work under state regulations even when a private company signs their paychecks. Under COMAR 13A.06.07.07, the section covering driver disqualification and termination, a local school system’s supervisor of transportation may disqualify and terminate a driver for “any unsafe action.”

The same regulation requires the supervisor to notify the state Office of Pupil Transportation of a disqualification within 30 days.

Parent Diaries has covered other moments when a school bus ride went off script, including the St. Paul man who jumped onto a rolling bus full of middle schoolers and a Cleveland first grader let off early with no parent waiting.

Neither HCPS nor Cleary’s has announced any change to Morgan’s status since the Banner’s Oct. 15 report. Brookie, meanwhile, is safe with a foster family.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Ben Schumin from Montgomery Village, Maryland, USA – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

Victoria is an entrepreneur and proud mom of three, dedicated to navigating the beautiful chaos of family life. With a passion for simple living, Victoria Silva loves sharing insights and experiences on everything from fun family activities to healthy cooking and home organization. When not writing, you can find Victoria enjoying outdoor adventures with the kids or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

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