State Watch

Alabama woman charged with assault after confrontation with 11-year-old on bus

An Alabama woman was charged with assault this week after she allegedly engaged in a physical altercation with an 11-year-old on a school bus.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning on a school bus in Alabama’s Jefferson County and a recording of the altercation was posted to social media, according to NBC News. Local law enforcement was reportedly called to the scene shortly after conflict was reported.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported in a press release that the woman, Nannatt Waldrop, boarded the bus to confront “an 11-year-old student whom Waldrop suspected of bullying her child.”

The police confirmed that Waldrop and the other child “were involved in an altercation,” the release stated.

Following the incident, Waldrop was booked on charges of trespassing on a school bus, disorderly conduct, and third-degree assault, police reported.

Her bond was set at $10,500 and she was released on Tuesday evening, NBC News noted.

Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin condemned the incident in a statement, according to NBC News.

“We are aware of the video circulating on social media of a fight that occurred on one of our school buses Tuesday morning,” Gonsoulin reportedly said. “I want to be very clear: This type of behavior is unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated.”

According to Gonsoulin, adults are not allowed on school buses unless they are school employees, NBC News reported. The superintendent also said that the school district is investigating the events that led up to Tuesday’s incident.

“While this is now a law enforcement matter, let me just say what I saw on that video deeply disturbs me,” Gonsoulin said. “At no point is any type of violence acceptable, especially violence against students. We have been and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement.”