Macon parents were upset Thursday after a gas station manager prevented a group of students and their bus driver from entering the store during a tornado warning.
Amethyst “Nomi” Jackson said she was on the phone with her ninth-grade son, who was riding Westside High School bus No. 2023, when the driver pulled to the nearest place to take shelter — the Marathon gas station at 6199 Thomaston Road in West Macon.
“That’s when I heard the bus driver say, ‘Everybody get off the bus! There’s a tornado!’ and I heard kids running,” Jackson told The Daily Telegraph. “I just heard the bus driver banging on the window, begging the staff for about two to three minutes, ‘Please let us in! Please let us in!'”
Gas station manager Lim Insik said he was the only worker in the convenience store when a group of screaming children ran to the door.
“This is the first time I’ve had to defend myself,” Incic told The Telegraph from behind the till. “(The bus driver) told me, ‘It’s OK, they’re all kids,’ and oh my God, I thought for a minute, and then I opened the door and let everyone in.”
Incic said he was scared because “there was darkness everywhere. I couldn’t see anything. A lot of people came to my store and screamed.”
Customers in line told him they were disappointed with how he handled the situation. When Jackson and other parents posted their displeasure about the incident on Facebook, many people became aware of what had happened.
Insik and Jackson said a handful of students stayed in the store for about 20 minutes while others walked home.
“I just felt like they weren’t safe and it was morally wrong for him to not let them in,” Jackson said.
The bus driver eventually sent Jackson’s son and other remaining students home, according to Jackson.
“My son, he’s kind of traumatized,” Jackson said. “I would prepare a gift basket for the driver to say thank you and encourage him to have the courage to speak up for children and work to keep them safe.”
school response
Stephanie Hartley, chief communications officer for the Bibb County School District, said the bus driver followed the rules.
“During a tornado warning, bus drivers are directed to seek shelter at the nearest school district facility,” Hartley said. “Drivers are directed to seek the nearest safe location to shelter passengers, rather than nearby district facilities.”
BCSD first learned of the incident through Facebook and is “investigating to determine its accuracy,” Hartley said.
Around 2:30 p.m., she confirmed similar accounts to those told by her parents and Incic.
“The store employee opened the door and another district employee, who was recognized by the store employee, stopped and discovered a bus driver and students trying to take shelter,” Hartley said. “The students and driver sheltered in place until the warning was lifted.”
Education reporter Michaela Lewis helped report this story.
