‘Leadership failed’: Emails show Maryland school aware of violence before bus stop fight

Towson, Md. (WBFF) — An alarming student fight caught on camera at a school bus stop in Towson. Now, five juveniles have been charged with second-degree assault. And a victim is trying to heal.

But one parent says this fight should not surprise anyone. The warning signs were there. The school was made aware. But administrators did not do enough to stop it.

Project Baltimore has obtained video, from November 2025, recorded on a school bus by a Dumbarton Middle School student. The video shows the school bus moving while students are in the aisle screaming and fighting. Among the chaos, a voice can be heard telling the students to “sit down”. But that voice is ignored.

Five months later, in April 2026, video was recorded at a bus stop in Towson on York Road, where a group of students from Dumbarton Middle School can be seen attacking another student. At least five juveniles, from the incident, have been charged with second-degree assault.

And sources tell Project Baltimore the students from the April fight video ride the same bus as the students from the November 2025 fight video.

“It’s just horrible,” said Patrick Miller, a Baltimore County resident whose daughter rides that same bus. “That was very hard to watch.”

Patrick Miller says Dumbarton Middle School leadership failed (WBFF)

Hard to watch, not just because of the violence – but because, according to Miller, the April fight was preventable.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Leadership failed.”

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In November, after Miller saw the first bus fight video, he wrote Dumbarton’s Assistant Principal, Amy Beale and Principal Amanda Shanks, who is the reigning BCPS Middle School Principal of the Year.

In an email, obtained by Fox45 News, Miller writes of a “serious safety concern regarding the behavior of students on the school bus.” Miller even attached the “video” of students “out of their seats, fighting.” He explained how the student behavior was “unacceptable.” And requested the school, “take immediate and effective corrective action.”

Assistant Principal Beale wrote Miller back, “I have been working closely with the Office of Transportation to address these issues.”

A few months later, in February 2026, when Miller says the behavior had not improved, he again wrote the school explaining, “the conditions on this bus have remained chaotic and unsafe. It is a serious safety risk. This bus must be brought under control before someone is seriously injured.”

“I’ve been making it very clear that things are escalating, that it’s getting more violent on there, that it’s very unsafe,” Miller explained to Fox45.

Assistant Principal Beale responds to an email sent by Miller. She writes, “I have been working closely with the Office of Transportation to address these issues.” (WBFF)

After that email, Principal Shanks replied, “We take student safety seriously. Please let me know if there is an improvement on the bus next week.”

When Miller says there was not improvement by March, he sent another email stating, “You assured me that the safety concerns on the bus would be addressed. However, the same behavior continued — more fighting.”

“I want my daughter to be able to be transported from here to school and not feel scared,” Miller told Project Baltimore. “Not have me be worried that something’s going to happen.”

And then, something happened in April – a fight at a bus stop on York Road where students have now been charged with second-degree assault. Miller thinks the school system failed.

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“Absolutely,” Miller said. “This was not out of nowhere. This was something that escalated over time and it just got worse.”

Principal Shanks and Assistant Principal Beale declined an interview with Fox45 News to discuss Miller’s many emails warning school officials of potential violence. Instead, Project Baltimore received a statement from a BCPS spokesperson that does not address Miller’s concerns.

Baltimore County schools provided this response to Project Baltimore (WBFF)

The statement explains in part, “While we are unable to provide specific student/incident information, I can share that when incidents are reported, school administration takes action. The reports are investigated thoroughly, and if a student has violated the Code of Conduct, they do receive consequences.”

“Someone needs to be held accountable for this because it was preventable,” stated Miller. “Five kids that now have criminal background that didn’t need to happen. Leadership didn’t do their job.”

Follow Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst on X and Facebook. Send news tips to cjpapst@sbgtv.com