According to KFYR-TV, a longtime Harford County school bus driver has been pulled from her route after letting a North Harford Elementary School student hop off the bus to rescue an injured kitten beside a rural road, and now parents are fighting to bring her back. Cynthia Morgan, 67, had driven the route for 11 years before this week's decision upended her job and sparked a wave of community support.
A Roadside Stop That Cost a Veteran Driver Her Route
According to Atlanta News First, Morgan had spent 11 years working as a school bus driver in the Harford County Public Schools district before she was let go. The outlet reports she let a North Harford Elementary School student get off the bus to pick up the injured kitten, an act that ultimately led to her removal. The incident likely took place before October 8, 2026. Morgan stopped her bus to allow the rescue beside a rural road, according to the New York Sun, which refers to the driver as Cyntia Morgan in its reporting, a spelling that differs from the one used by Atlanta News First.
Harford County Public Schools has not framed the move the same way other outlets have. CBS News Baltimore describes Morgan as having been removed from her route this week after she allegedly allowed a student to get off the bus for the kitten, rather than characterizing it as a firing the way Atlanta News First did.
District Points to Independent Contractor
The district also told the station's report that Morgan was employed by an independent contractor rather than directly by Harford County Public Schools, a distinction officials raised when addressing her status, as reported by CBS Baltimore. That detail has done little to quiet parents who say the punishment doesn't fit a moment of compassion gone slightly off-script.
Petition Gathers Momentum Among Parents
Parents including a mother identified as Kalambihis are circulating a petition calling for Morgan to be allowed to return to her route, per the same CBS Baltimore account. The New York Sun reports that more than 1,500 residents of the Maryland county have signed the petition in support of the driver, a show of backing that has turned a single roadside stop into a local cause.
Parents describe Morgan in warm terms, telling the Sun she is an “angel” who regularly bought gifts and birthday cards for children on her route. That reputation appears central to why so many families are rallying behind her now rather than simply accepting the district's decision.
Parents Say They Understand the Risk, But Call the Response Excessive
Even Morgan's defenders aren't dismissing the safety questions raised by stopping a school bus to let a child step outside. Parents say they understand the safety concerns but believe removing Morgan from her route was excessive, according to CBS News Baltimore. It's a tension that sits at the heart of the controversy: a driver beloved for her kindness, sidelined over a judgment call made in the moment.
What happens next for Morgan, and whether the petition will sway the independent contractor or the district, remains to be seen. For now, the North Harford Elementary families who came to rely on her for 11 years are left waiting to see if their campaign changes the outcome.
