On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Deputy Julian Carter Brown, a Bulloch County Sheriff’s School Resource Officer who is assigned to William James Middle School, received a report of an attack on a Bulloch County child during the morning bus route on Friday, April 18, 2025.
Upon receiving this report, the BCSO SRO division opened a criminal investigation into the incident. During this investigation, it was determined that 7 students from the ages of 5-14 initiated a physical attack on a 7-year-old student on the bus en route to Mattie Lively Elementary School. The investigation also determined that this attack occurred while the bus was traveling on Highway 301 North in Statesboro.
After reviewing the video footage from the bus camera, the 7 students were identified and charged with battery. The information regarding the arrests of these juveniles will be forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Justice for further court proceedings.
All the juveniles have also been suspended from their respective schools.
Based on the investigation, the bus driver, Joey Edwin Jackson, 70, has been charged with cruelty to children in the 2nd degree and failure to report child abuse. Information obtained from the Bulloch County Board of Education reflects that Jackson is no longer employed by the Board of Education.
Bulloch County Schools released the following statement regarding the incident:
A group of seven Bulloch County elementary and middle school students physically attacked a young elementary school student on Friday, April 18.
The students were riding on a Bulloch County Schools bus during its morning route.The incident remains under active investigation.
The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged the seven students in connection with this incident. While federal privacy laws prevent the school district from disclosing specific information about how students are disciplined in the school setting, please know that district leaders are working closely with law enforcement and taking all appropriate steps in accordance with district policies.
In addition, on April 30, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged a school district employee, the bus driver, in connection with this incident. The bus driver was charged with second-degree cruelty to children and failure to make a report. Effective April 25, the bus driver is no longer employed by the Bulloch County Board of Education. Bus drivers are classified staff and do not fall under the same employee appeal procedures as certified personnel.
Regardless of their role, all Bulloch County Schools employees are expected to uphold the highest standards for student safety and conduct.
School buses and bus stops are extensions of the classroom. For this reason students are expected to behave and follow all school and bus rules and the district’s Student Code of Conduct while they use bus transportation services. Bulloch County Schools encourages all parents and students (as they are able) to read and have a good understanding of the school district's expectations for good behavior at school. Violations of the Code of Conduct can result in disciplinary action, including the possibility of expulsion with or without the option of attending the school district’s alternative learning program.
Sgt. Bubba Revell of the Bulloch County SRO Division has been actively assisting in this investigation while communicating with the administrators and officials of the Board of Education and each school involved.
If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Sgt. Revell at (912) 486-5926.