A Polk County school bus driver is being investigated after being accused of telling a boy he wouldn’t go to heaven because he has two moms.

Incident occurred last month

Driver initially counseled, but not disciplined

District later placed driver on administrative leave

Petition for disciplinary action against bus driver



Nathaly Encarnacion said her seven-year-old son Joseph came home last month from his Haines City elementary school and told her she needed to break up with her partner, Stephanie Aponte.



He said that was because his school bus driver, Violeta Jacobo, had spoken to him about how he had two moms.



“And she went on to tell him God didn’t like that,” said Encarnacion.



Encarnacion said Joseph was very upset about the things he had been told.



“She told him all the suffering and bad things that were going to happen to him when he isn’t accepted into heaven,” said Encarnacion. She said the driver also gave Joseph a business card for the Jehovah Witness church and told him to watch videos on the organization’s web site.



School district officials said Jacobo was counseled about proper communications with students, and made her sign a letter about the counseling. However, she was not disciplined.



Encarnacion said she didn’t believe the school district took her complaints about the incident seriously until the story got media attention.



Subsequently, the school district placed Jacobo on paid administration leave while it investigates the case. District officials released a statement today that reads in part:



“It has never been the policy of the Polk County School District for employees to speak with students about religious matters. We are deeply concerned that one of our employees has been accused of such behavior."



Encarnacion said she would speak to the Polk County School Board Tuesday evening to ask for disciplinary action against Jacobo.



“And the bus driver at the very least should not be working with children his age. He can’t defend himself,” she said.



We were not able to reach Jacobo for comment.

A local woman, meanwhile, has launched an online petition supporting Encarnacion and her partner's call for disciplinary action against Jacobo. You can find that petition here.

