A bus driver accused of calling a third-grade student a racial slur has been barred for five years from driving students in a county in Maryland.

Anne Arundel County schools spokesman told The Capital on Monday that Ross Cohen was decertified following an investigation.

Delray Johnson said his 9-year-old son texted him on May 2, saying Cohen was filling in for the regular driver and called him a slur while asking him to move.

Student Transportation spokesman Doug Coupe says Cohen has vigorously denied using such language, and it's the first such allegation against Cohen in his 22-year career.

But schools spokesman Bob Mosier says the company has been fined because the bus camera wasn't operating that day.

No charges have been filed.

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Information from: The Capital, http://www.capitalgazette.com/