Twenty-three Panther Valley Middle School students were sent home Thursday morning after their Kistler Transportation school bus was suddenly stopped while in Summit Hill.

It has yet to be determined why Bus 13 stopped so abruptly on West Ludlow Street near the South Chestnut Street intersection, but parents believe the driver deliberately hit the brakes when her young passengers got loud.School District Superintendent Dennis Kergick said the incident happened at about 8 a.m."The Summit Hill bus for some reason came to an abrupt stop, and some of the kids were banged around as a result. Some of the students complained about possible injuries," he said.School district nurses examined each student. Seventeen of the students said they had bumped their heads or faces on seats. One hit a window and another had abrasions on an elbow.Four said they had been jolted forward and backward. One girl had a bruise on her cheek, Kergick said.In all, 23 students were sent home and their parents were called.Police investigation"We're conducting an investigation," Kergick said. "We contacted Summit Hill police, and they are also conducting an investigation."Kergick said the district has taken statements from the students. He declined to release information about the bus driver.However, he said at a school board meeting Thursday that the driver has been prohibited from driving any district buses pending the outcome of the investigations.School board Vice President John Williams said the matter was discussed during an executive meeting before the public board meeting.The school district is under contract with Kistler Transportation for bus service. The company did not return a telephone call Thursday seeking information.Kergick said the company's drivers are required to pass background checks because they are in contact with children.He also said there may have been a video camera operating on the bus. The buses switch out active and dummy cameras, and he was not sure which was on the bus involved.Summit Hill Police Chief Joseph Fittos said early Friday that he's investigating the incident, but had yet to interview those involved, including parents, students, the bus driver and the monitor.Parents interviewed by the Times News said they planned to speak with Fittos.Hit the brakes hardParents whose children were on the bus all said the driver apparently slammed on the brakes when a new bus monitor could not be heard over the students.Lori Devonshire's daughter Emily, 14, hit her head on the back of a seat."We were on the bus and we got to the Russo's pizza place and I guess the bus monitor was trying to talk. She's not very loud, and the driver hit the brakes really hard. People in the back hit their heads really hard off the seats," she said."Some of us went to the office in school. Their heads started hurting. They (administrators) called us back down and we told them what happened. Some of the girls had to go home. Some of them had whiplash and concussions," Emily said.Lori Devonshire said her daughter started getting nauseated and her head started hurting around lunch time. She was taking her to see a doctor later in the afternoon.She is angry with the driver."This is not how you deal with it. If the kids are getting loud, you pull over," she said.Amanda Lehman's daughter, Emilee, 14, told her mother that they had been picked up at the bus stop and had gone about two blocks. Some of the kids were loud and the driver slammed on the brakes. She said her book bag hit her stomach. She saw kids fly forward, and some fell off their seats.Tammy Werkheiser's son Cody, 11, and daughter Callie, 13, were on the bus."The kids told me that a new monitor was on bus. She was speaking, but normally the driver and the bus monitor talk to each other. The kids were talking, and the bus monitor was talking, but not loudly. The driver slammed on the brakes. It was not at stop sign," Werkheiser said.She said her children told her the driver said, "Maybe next time you'll pay attention."Cody was picking up his hat from floor and hit head on a seat. Callie hit her face on a seat."This happened not even a full block from the bus stop," Werkheiser said. "There's a lot of pretty angry parents."She said the school nurse called her, and she picked up her children at school and took them to the emergency room.The staff there told her to keep an eye on them, and gave her notes allowing them to stay home from school on Friday."Callie is worried about tests. She's a little beside herself about staying home," Werkheiser said.More students talkNina Hofstetter said she received a call from the school at 9:19 a.m. A neighbor was called at 9:45 a.m."Before they talked to the kids, they should have called us immediately. They just said the bus 'had to stop suddenly'", she said.Hofstetter's 12-year-old twins, Kyleigh and Joseph Anarumo, were on the bus. Both were hurt."This ruined Joseph's perfect attendance record," Hofstetter said. "He's very upset about this."The twins' recollection aligns with the other students'."We were on the bus and we got a new bus monitor. She talked very low and quiet. Nobody could hear her," Kyleigh said."Our bus driver slammed on the brakes to get our attention. She said, 'Well how else am I supposed to get your attention when you're all screaming?'", Kyleigh said."Everybody banged their heads off the seats," she said.Kyleigh was in the front of the bus."I banged my head against somebody else's head and I have a scratch on my elbow," she said.Joseph said he had an upset stomach and headache."When she slammed on the brakes I hit my head on the seat really hard," he said.He said he felt better by Thursday evening."I thought it was kind of ridiculous to do that to get our attention. She could have handled the situation better by stopping the bus and telling everyone to pay attention rather than slamming on the brakes," Joseph said.Ranee Kusko's son, Nick Henninger, 12, said the bus driver was "driving only a block away from the bus stop when she suddenly slammed on the brakes and everyone went flying all over the bus. He said she started yelling at them also. He hit his head and the bridge of his nose."Kusko took him to the emergency room. Her boyfriend's son, Cole McLaughlin, 13, was hurt, too, when he hit his head.On Friday morning, as Nick was getting ready for school, he said his right side and upper arm were still sore. There was a noticeable swollen spot on the bridge of his nose.Missy Smith's daughters Falon, 12, and Emma, 14, were on the bus.They told her that the driver picked them up, and as the new bus monitor was introducing herself the "driver slammed the brakes on to get their full attention."Smith said both her daughters have whiplash. She took the them to emergency room and is keeping them at home at least until Monday. both are stiff and sore, she said.Chrissy Benek's son Aaron Eidem, 14, hit the window with his face when the bus stopped. His face is bruised and swollen. On Thursday afternoon, he was lying down, with ice to reduce the swelling and over the counter pain relievers to dial down the hurt.Benek said that according to what she had learned, the "kids were talking or not listening and the bus driver took it upon herself" to slam on the brakes.She said she's grateful Aaron didn't have a concussion."As long as we don't have to deal with this woman again, that OK with me,' she said.Benek called the driver's alleged actions "irresponsible and stupid. Our kids have to deal with bullying by other kids, and now this by an adult. It's mind- blowing.""I plan on pressing charges on behalf of my child," she said.Benek said she spoke with Kergick, who was "very nice and very apologetic. I feel bad for him and (other school employees) because of the actions of one idiot."She's concerned the incident will draw unwarranted fire on the school district."I don't want people to say oh, Panther Valley again," she said. "We're a good little district, and then stuff like this happens. It's pretty frustrating."