Elderly School Bus Driver Is Applauded & Gets $125K after Video of Her Yelling at Kids Goes Viral

A video of a school driver, Jackie Miller, ranting on a school bus made national headlines a month ago. Little did she know the impact it would have on her life.

Miller is an elderly woman who has been a bus driver for 15 years in different parts of the country. She has been working in Amherst for two years and works hard to make ends meet.

Miller went viral after a video of her reprimanding students on the bus surfaced online. Social media users viewed the clip nearly 3 million times on TikTok.

Miller has been putting up with the bad behavior for years while still getting underpaid for the job. That said, Jeff Grob started a GoFundMe page to support her efforts to help pay for her time off expenses and for the years she spent dedicating her time to driving the students to and from school.

According to the page, a goal of $200,000 has been set for fundraising, and so far, people have donated $125,445 as of this writing for the cause. It is intended for Miller's retirement and vacation.

Grob stated bus drivers, including teachers, school staff, janitors, and cafeteria workers are the hardest working group of people who influence kids' lives daily.

However, they continue to be underpaid and are less appreciated, adding children nowadays are uncontrollable, and people are scared of reprimanding them because they fear losing their jobs. Grob emphasized that Miller had succumbed to students' intolerable behavior for an extended period and that this was her breaking point.

Miller Yells at Students on the Bus

The incident occurred in Ohio, and the video shows the veteran fuming while telling the students she had had enough of their misbehavior. Miller also told WKYC Channel that a group of students on the school bus had been bothering her for years and that, on that particular day, they intentionally got under her skin by acting out.

Miller has asthma, and strong fragrances trigger her attacks. While on the bus, one child yelled that another student had sprayed perfume on the vehicle. A month earlier, Miller had an asthma attack because someone had done the same thing, and she cautioned the junior high students not to respray perfume. She feared she would have another attack.

Unfortunately, the incident happened again in late March, and Miller stopped the bus and went on a rampage while walking down the aisle, shouting for the person who sprayed the fragrance to hand it over.

She admitted that was when she went berserk and went on a two-minute rant yelling at the students with expletives. Miller expressed to the group:

"I've had my fill! I'm done with it!"

After dropping off the students later that afternoon, she talked to the dispatcher and said, "I can't take it anymore." The 68-year-old woman had no idea someone recorded her venting session on March 29, 2023, and that it went viral in 24 hours.

Some viewers have stood in solidarity with her, while others have expressed disapproval of how she handled the situation. But Miller stands her ground, saying;

"I will never take back what I said. But I do regret the delivery."

Miller explained that the kids were well aware of her asthma condition because she had informed them about it earlier in the year. However, she admitted she could have handled the situation better. She is aware many people were upset about what transpired in the clip and that she would be too if she did not know what happened.

Miller believes this incident will send a message to parents and encourage them enough to take a stand against bad behavior and educate their children about "respect" so they can become better people.

The video that shows Miller expressing her frustrations inspired merchandise from a local store. They had a T-shirt imprinted with her quotes. When speaking on the GoFundMe started on her behalf, Miller said:

"I'm nobody, I'm just a little old granny bus driver and these people doing this for me is amazing."

Miller resigned from her job, believing it was for the best. Although she hinted at returning to driving the bus, she stressed she would not be transporting children.

Social Media Users Weigh In on the Debacle

Miller remains thankful for the insurmountable support she has received from people who hardly know her. They have decided to help her out because they know her job barely pays her enough. After learning about the GoFundMe campaign, she said:

"This has just floored me."

Miller has over $100,000, thanks to the cause and the local store Mistakes on the Lake in Ohio, which sold 5,000 T-shirts dedicated to her for $5 each. The store manager, Jacqui Adkins, who resides in nearby Vermilion, Ohio, shared Miller's viral clip on her business's Facebook page and received 50 orders nationwide shortly thereafter.

Many supporters suggested the proceeds go to Miller, who revealed she would save the money for retirement and use some of it to travel with her husband.

Social media users have weighed in on Miller's video that captured national attention. Some have mixed reactions, as one person wrote: "Glad she stood up, but these drivers are reckless and dangerous drivers."

Meanwhile, someone else commented on bus drivers making less money on the job: "I don't agree. Many people I know drive school buses and make decent money."

While a third Facebook user stated, "I'm sure they needed to be yelled at!! And a fourth agreed, "I'm sure you are right: After being a school driver for 25 years." A fifth individual said, "I think kids are worse on the bus than anywhere else. Good for her."

Another person expressed relief, "It's nice to see her being supported in this situation. She deserves every penny." "I agree!" one other user exclaimed. "I applaud her. The youth today are arrogant little brats thinking they can do or say whatever they want without consequences. The kids involved in it should be removed from the bus, and their parents made to deal with getting them back and forth for the remainder of the school year," said another.

Meanwhile, someone praised Miller, writing, "[...] You are a bus driver that deserves respect like anyone else in the education system. […] Your job is very important. Thank you for your service as a bus driver."

Click here to read a story about another bus driver who used seat belts to save siblings from a Dallas flood.