For 11 years, Cynthia Morgan has driven students to and from school in Harford County, Maryland. In early October, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) pulled her from her North Harford route after she let a 10-year-old boy step off the bus to pick up an injured kitten on Heaps School Road, a quiet, low-traffic road in Pylesville. The boy held the kitten safely all the way to school.

Parents on her route are standing with her. The boy’s mother, Taffy Thomas, told The Baltimore Sun she is “100 percent behind” Morgan. Another parent, Carolyn Kalambihis, told CBS News Baltimore that Morgan pays out of pocket for school supplies for every child on the bus, plus holiday gifts and birthday cards. Kalambihis also said stopping the bus was a mistake. Many families agree a lesson is needed. Few believe that lesson should cost a devoted driver her job.

HCPS says the decision weighed several past incidents, but it has not explained them to the families who ride with her every day. Parents deserve to know the full reasons, and Morgan deserves a real chance to respond. A well-meant judgment call on a quiet road calls for retraining and clear rules, not removal.

HCPS Transportation Director Danielle Bedsaul and Cleary Transportation can fix this. They should give Morgan a fair and open review, share the findings with parents, and return her to her route unless that review shows a real safety risk. HCPS should also give every driver clear written guidance on what to do when an animal or other emergency turns up along a route, so no driver has to guess again.

Sign the petition to give Cynthia Morgan a fair hearing and a path back to the students who count on her.