District 281 Bus Driver Asks Student to Pick Up Gun

At 8 a.m. Thursday, a Metropolitan Transportation Network bus driver stopped at a Minneapolis intersection and asked a seventh-grade Robbinsdale Middle School student to pick up a gun and bring it on the bus, according to Robbinsdale Area Schools spokesperson Tia Clasen.

Robbinsdale Area Schools uses First Student to transport the majority of its students, but the district contracts with Metropolitan Transportation Network for some smaller bus routes, Clasen said.

When the driver asked the student to retrieve the gun at the intersection of 25th Avenue North and Irving Avenue North, the student exited the bus, picked up the gun, and gave it to the bus driver, Clasen said. After the student brought him the gun, the bus driver continued driving to Robbinsdale Middle School.

When the bus arrived at the school, Clasen said the driver notified school employees about the weapon, at which point it was handed over to police. Clasen said the gun was not loaded and no one was injured.

At the end of the school day, staff at Robbinsdale Middle School passed out a letter written by Principal John Cook detailing the incident. Students brought the letter, which is attached to this article, home today.

"I commend this student for being respectful, as we teach our students to follow the instructions of adults who are responsible for students’ well-being," Cook said in his letter. "However, this was not a safe situation and the district has been working throughout the day with both police and MTN in order to fully address this serious matter."

Clasen told Patch the district will never employ the bus driver again. WCCO reported the bus driver was "no longer an employee" of Metropolitan Transportation Network, but Clasen couldn't confirm that. When Patch called Metropolitan Transportation Network, a representative said that the company had "no comment."

"This has never happened before," Clasen said. "I encourage families to talk to their students about situations that may arise where the students may feel uncomfortable."