Seven juvenile Bulloch Country Schools students were arrested and a school bus driver faces child cruelty charges after a physical attack occurred on his bus route, according to a release from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office.

The release states that Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer Deputy Julian Carter Brown, who is assigned to the William James Middle School, received a report on April 23 of an attack on a child during the morning bus route of April 18.  

Upon receiving this report, the Sheriff’s Office SRO division opened a criminal investigation into the incident. 

“During this investigation it was determined that seven students, ages 5-14, initiated a physical attack on 7-year-old student during (the April 18) morning bus route to Mattie Lively Elementary,” the release stated.

The child, reportedly, was not seriously injured.

It was determined the attack occurred while the bus was traveling on Highway 301 North.

After reviewing the video footage from the bus camera, the seven students were identified and charged with battery and have been suspended from their respective schools, according to the release.

The information about the arrests of the juveniles will be forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Justice for further court proceedings, the release stated.  

Also, the investigation determined that the bus driver, Joey Edwin Jackson, 70, has been charged with cruelty to children 2nd degree and failure to report child abuse. According to the school district, Jackson did not report the incident to school officials.

In an emailed statement, Hayley Greene, director of Public Relations for the school district, said Jackson was dismissed by the Board of Education on April 25.

“School buses and bus stops are extensions of the classroom,” Greene wrote in the statement. “For this reason, students are expected to behave and follow all school and bus rules and the district’s Student Code of Conduct while they use bus transportation services.

“While federal privacy laws prevent the school district from disclosing specific information about how students are disciplined in the school setting, please know that district leaders are working closely with law enforcement and taking all appropriate steps in accordance with district policies.”
The incident remains under active investigation. The Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone with information about the incident to contact Sgt. Bubba Revell at (912) 486-5926.