CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A former Chesapeake Public Schools bus driver says she was forced to resign from her position after filming what she and parents call a harmless fun video of her interacting with her bus riders.

Jessica Flowers said she loved her job as a bus driver and loved the relationships she had begun building with the students she served — relationships that have been cut short.

Flowers, a mother herself, said she’s always had a heart for helping the youth. She previously worked in childcare before deciding she wanted a career change.

“I accepted the interview and I did everything that I needed to do to become a Chesapeake Public Schools bus driver,” Flowers said.

One of her routes picked up Tara Mark’s middle schooler. Mark said when Flowers became the bus driver, it was a welcome change.

“It was a breath of fresh air,” Mark said. “It was night and day.”

She says that’s all thanks to Flowers going above and beyond in her role, something they haven’t had in the past.

“Since COVID, Chesapeake [Public] Schools have had a challenge with having consistency with bus drivers, ” Mark said.

Flowers brought relief and established a great rapport with the children. She says she strived to make every child feel special when they stepped on her bus.

“I decided to do a handshake,” Flowers said.

She and each student came up with a different handshake, and last week, with parents’ permission, she decided to record a video of them doing the handshake and posted it on social media.

“In this day and age you see these kinds of videos go viral and you see the love and the dedication,” Mark said.

Chesapeake Public Schools did not see it that way.

Flowers said the school division told her she violated a “zero tolerance” social media policy that she wasn’t aware of. She was told she could resign or get fired. 10 On Your Side reached out to Chesapeake Public Schools to learn more about that possibly and were told that  

“Chesapeake Public Schools generally does not provide information to the media regarding the specifics of personnel matters,” the school division said in a statement.

Said Mark: “Policy is very important, but so is common sense and compassion.”

Both are hopeful that this can lead to a policy change.