On a Wednesday afternoon in early October, a Cumberland County school bus stopped along Winesap Road to pick up children at the end of the school day. Instead, the driver found herself face to face with an adult.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Stephanie Karon Shaw stepped onto Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School Bus 836 on Oct. 1 and refused the driver’s repeated requests to leave. She was arrested the next day and charged with trespassing on a school bus—a Class 1 misdemeanor under North Carolina law.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Senior Sgt. Mickey Locklear said Shaw’s case is the first arrest this year for trespassing on a school bus. In an email to CityView, Locklear confirmed that six individuals were charged in 2023, and deputies charged another six in 2024. That means trespassing arrests have dropped from six cases in each of the past two years to just one so far in 2025.
While school district officials were unable to provide specific details about each case, they said that when school bus trespassing does occur, it is usually rooted in parent frustration. In most cases, district officials said, parents are upset over bullying their child may be experiencing on the bus or the location of a bus stop.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that only students and school personnel are allowed on buses, and anyone else who boards without permission can face criminal charges.
“While parents can walk their children to the bus, they cannot enter it. If someone trespasses, they face the possibility of criminal charges. Any issues on the bus should be brought to the attention of school administration,” Locklear said.
The law
Under N.C. General Statute 14-132.2, it is unlawful for anyone to:
- Enter a school bus after being forbidden by the driver or principal
- Refuse to leave when directed
- Stop, impede, or delay a bus being operated for school purposes
Children under 12 and authorized school personnel are exempt from the school bus trespass law.
Convictions for a Class 1 misdemeanor may result in possible fines or jail time.
“To ensure every child is safe, please do not pass the threshold of a school bus,” Cumberland County Sheriff Johnathan Morgan stated in the release announcing Shaw’s arrest.
District response
Phillip Young, safety and security director for Cumberland County Schools, said his office pushes out public service announcements each year before the school year starts, reminding parents that buses are restricted spaces.
“We are constantly reminding and reiterating through the year what we will and will not do, and one of them is do not come on the bus,” Young said. “Word gets out—if you come on the bus, then there are consequences you have to face.”
If someone who trespasses on a school bus becomes aggressive, drivers are instructed not to physically intervene but to notify dispatch. Supervisors or school resource officers can then meet the bus.
Why parents cross the line
District officials and drivers said most incidents aren’t about malice—but emotion. Parents often step onto buses because they believe their child is being bullied, disciplined unfairly, or placed in danger.
“They get upset if someone is bullying their child, or they might get upset if they don’t like the bus stop,” said bus driver Andrena Evans. “It can escalate quickly, and they think they can just step on the bus as the children are loading.”
Evans said much of her job involves redirecting parents and reiterating the rules. If she senses a situation may escalate, she reports it to the school district and the sheriff’s office instead of confronting a parent.
“We won’t stop at that bus stop until help arrives,” Evans said. “It’s not that we won’t pick up the children, but we can’t move forward if a parent is upset and threatening to get on the bus. Normally an SRO or supervisor is sent to the stop to keep everyone safe.”
Cumberland County Schools’ Transportation Supervisor Travis Stroud added that frustrated parents often target the driver.
“In most cases a parent is angry with the driver because of an incident,” Stroud said. “In an effort to approach or intimidate the driver, they step into the driver’s space—not realizing that it creates an unsafe environment and a horrible experience for students on the bus.”
Associate Superintendent of Communications & Community Engagement Lindsay Whitley said the district does not keep a database categorizing how unauthorized individuals who trespass on buses are connected to schools, but confirmed that most incidents have involved parents or guardians.
“The key point for the public to understand is that only authorized individuals are permitted on school buses, and CCS takes every precaution to ensure a safe environment for students and staff,” Whitley said in an email to CityView.
How drivers are trained to respond
Evans said she works to build rapport with parents, encouraging them to let administrators handle complaints rather than taking action themselves. Staying calm is key, she said.
“I try to lower my voice, avoid reacting to profanity and remind students to stay quiet,” Evans said. “Normally that helps the parent calm down too. And if it doesn’t, law enforcement gets involved. At the end of the day, it’s about keeping kids safe.”
Evans noted that all buses are equipped with radios linking drivers to supervisors, administrators, and law enforcement, as well as a panic button that flags the bus’s camera system. The cameras, she said, capture multiple angles inside and outside the vehicle, providing an added layer of protection when situations escalate.
As a mother of three, Evans views her work through both professional and personal lenses.
“Because I’m a mother of three children, I know how it feels when your child is being bullied,” she said. “Parents can get upset—that’s natural—but as drivers we still have to keep everyone safe. When I see supervisors or even police arrive at a stop, that makes me feel protected too.”
A message to parents
District leaders emphasized that arrests are viewed as a last resort.
“If there’s an issue with your child’s bus, take it up with school administration, not the driver,” Young said. “Once you step onto that bus after being told not to, you’ve committed a misdemeanor and you can be banned from school property for a year.”
Stroud added: “Our number one priority is student and driver safety. We want to work in partnership with parents, but everyone has to follow the rules.”
