School bus driver fired for posting shocking sign banning Spanish speaks out
A Pennsylvania school bus driver who was fired for posting a sign banning students from speaking Spanish says her intention was not racist, but aimed at stopping bullying she didn’t fully understand.
Diane Crawford, 66, lost her job after three decades with the Juniata County School District when she posted a handwritten note on her bus reading: “Out of respect to English only students there will be NO speaking Spanish on this bus.”
“I didn’t mean to be racially insensitive or anything like that,” Crawford told Local 21 News last week through tears. “Maybe I should have worded it differently. Maybe it should have said, ‘No bullying in any language,’ but I didn’t mean it to be anything but to correct” one student she believed was bullying others in Spanish.
Since losing her job, Crawford says she has relied on Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP benefits. “I had to go on antidepressants because of this,” she said.
Crawford, who owned the bus and was subcontracted through Rohrer Bus Company, said she was told her contract was terminated the night after she posted the sign. “I think I just instantly went into shock,” she said.
She maintains that the sign was meant to promote respect on the bus and targeted one particular bilingual student who she thought was causing problems while speaking Spanish. “I didn’t know if he was bullying somebody, telling them to do something that he shouldn’t do,” she explained. “I thought I heard him saying ‘Gordo,’ and — I understand some of the words — I don’t know who he was talking to, but I assumed it was directed at me.”
The word “Gordo” is Spanish for “fat.”
The Juniata County School District and Rohrer Bus Company said their investigation concluded quickly because Crawford admitted to writing the note.
“While initial communications referenced a suspension pending investigation, the matter progressed quickly once the written statement was received, and a final decision was made without delay,” the joint statement read. “Juniata County School District and Rohrer Bus stand by the decision made in this matter and remain committed to providing a safe and inclusive transportation environment for all students.”
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