Marietta bus driver fired after video of alleged fight disappears

A Marietta Schools bus driver was fired after a tape of an alleged fight went missing.

A Marietta Schools bus driver was fired after a tape of an alleged fight went missing.

A school bus driver was fired after failing to tell officials about a missing video key to an investigation into an alleged fight during her route, a Marietta Schools District spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

Rosa Smith, who had been with the district for 12 years, was accused of threatening, cursing and hitting students during an alleged fight. Marietta police were called to investigate the incident, but when they went to check cameras on the bus, they discovered the hard drive had been removed.

No criminal charges were filed against Smith, 58, in the Oct. 20 incident, but Marietta Schools said her failure to alert them about the missing video cost her a job.

School officials told authorities the hard drives are locked and the bus drivers do not have access to them, according to a police report. It is not clear who removed the hard drive on the bus.

Superintendent Grant Rivera said Smith was fired for not following pre-trip inspection protocols, and not for any alleged misconduct or her interaction with the children.

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