**Castle Rock Bus Driver Denies Forcing Students Off at Busy Intersection**

Parents of Clear Sky Elementary School students have accused a Castle Rock bus driver, Irving Johnson, of forcing their children off the bus at a busy intersection, miles from their homes. Johnson, however, disputes these allegations, claiming he did not tell the children to get off the bus.

In a recent interview, Johnson clarified the situation, saying, "I opened the door, and the students knew this was close to where they were supposed to get off, so they started getting off." He emphasized that when all 40 students exited the bus instead of the expected handful, he was taken aback. Johnson was also in the process of electronically logging the students' departures, a task he is required to complete.

"I recognize I could have handled that stop better," Johnson admitted. "When the rest of the kids got off, it was bizarre for me. I was really stunned and didn't know what to do." This was Johnson's first time driving that specific route, although he has worked for the Douglas County School District for the past seven years.

Johnson described the bus environment as chaotic, with many students misbehaving as soon as they boarded. "They got on the bus, and they were in an uproar," he said. "They were standing on seats and doing pull-ups on the overhead luggage rack. It was a challenging situation."

Despite parents alleging that Johnson threatened the children and used vulgar language, he has denied these claims. The Douglas County School District has since taken action. In an email sent to families on Wednesday, Chief Operations Officer Rich Cosgrove announced that the relief driver on the route was no longer employed by the district, though he did not initially identify Johnson by name.