School bus driver allegedly duct tapes 10-year-old to seat

By Tom Dougherty

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    MEDIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A school bus driver allegedly duct-taped a 10-year-old child while she was driving students to Hillcrest Elementary School in March. Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer charged 54-year-old Juliet Pratt, of Clifton Heights, on Tuesday with unlawful restraint, assault and related charges.

The alleged incident happened on March 8.

Pratt is a school bus driver for the Upper Darby School District, according to the DA’s office.

Upper Darby police were called to Hillcrest Elementary on March 8 for reports of a child assaulted by a bus driver.

Police claim surveillance video shows Pratt had the student restrained with duct tape around his ankles and chest. The child was in a seat with a school district-supplied safety harness.

“Using duct tape on a child who was already fully restrained in the vehicle’s harness was not only inexcusable, it was also dangerous,” Stollsteimer said in a statement. “Had an accident occurred, this child would have been unable to free himself from the tape. There is simply no excuse for this conduct.”

Pratt allegedly used a seat belt cutter to remove the duct tape from the student.

The student was not seen on video trying to get out of the seat, the DA’s office said.

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