Bus department internal investigation cites workplace bullying, discrimination and harassment

GREENBELT, Md. - New questions are emerging about the Prince George’s County school transportation department as thousands of families continue dealing with bus problems.

What we know:

An internal investigation found evidence of workplace bullying, discrimination and harassment, according to FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh. 

Umeh reports the investigation found a supervisor in the transportation department engaged in bullying and that there was evidence of discrimination and harassment based on age and sex.

RELATED: PGCPS fixes bus backlog, changes transportation leadership

The findings come as PGCPS works to stabilize its transportation system. The district says it has cleared the original backlog of about 10,000 students who started the school year without bus assignments, but some families tell FOX 5 they are still dealing with late buses, no‑shows and routing issues.

The department is also undergoing a leadership shakeup. Former transportation director Keba Baldwin has left the district, and Dr. Mark Fossett has taken over as interim director. PGCPS says that while the initial backlog is resolved, it is still working through routing errors, long ride times and bus stop concerns.

Superintendent Shawn Joseph has apologized for the transportation problems and said the district must be transparent about what went wrong and how it plans to fix it.

RELATED: PGCPS transportation department probed for bullying amid bus chaos

A veteran PGCPS bus driver told FOX 5 the investigation is welcome and said a hostile work environment is one reason the district is struggling to hire new drivers. PGCPS has not said whether the workplace issues identified in the investigation contributed to this year’s transportation problems.

The findings add another layer to the questions surrounding the department. On Wednesday, parents will have a chance to hear directly from school officials during a virtual transportation town hall.