Nationwide — Jessica Flowers, an African American school bus driver from Chesapeake, Virginia, says she was forced to resign after sharing a video of personalized handshakes she created with her students with their parents’ permission. School officials claimed the post violated a district social media policy.
Flowers said she loved her job and the relationships she built with the children on her route. Before joining Chesapeake Public Schools, she worked in childcare and wanted to continue supporting young people in a new way.
Parents quickly noticed her enthusiasm. Tara Mark, whose middle schooler rode Flowers’ bus, said her arrival “was a breath of fresh air” after years of driver shortages and turnover following the pandemic, according to My Fox 8.
To make each child feel valued, Flowers came up with a special handshake for every student. With parents’ permission, she recorded a short video of the cheerful greetings and posted it online. The clip showed the students smiling and enjoying the morning routine.
But school officials didn’t approve. Flowers said she was told the video violated the district’s “zero tolerance” social media policy. Flowers said she didn’t know about the rule and was told to either resign or face termination.
Chesapeake Public Schools declined to comment on the situation, saying it does not discuss personnel matters.
Parents expressed frustration over the outcome, saying Flowers’ actions reflected kindness and dedication rather than misconduct. They hope her case encourages the district to reconsider its existing policies.
“Policy is very important, but so is common sense and compassion,” Mark said.