Hero principal sacrifices own life to save her students
Susan Jordan, an Indianapolis educator, was killed Tuesday after pushing several of her students out of the way of a school bus that had accelerated over a curb.
A school bus driver yells to a parent that their child is safe after a bus accident at Amy Beverland Elementary School left several students injured and one adult dead on school grounds on Tuesday in Indianapolis. Authorities say a bus waiting outside the Indianapolis elementary school suddenly lurched forward and struck them.
Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star/AP
An elementary school principal in Indianapolis was killed Tuesday after pushing several students out of the way of an approaching school bus, authorities said.
Officials reported that the incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. near Amy Beverland Elementary School, where principal Susan Jordan worked, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police.
"At some point, the stationary bus lurched forward and jumped the curb,” Indianapolis Fire Department Capt. Rita Reith told the Associated Press. “The bus was not moving at the time directly before it jumped the curb.”
The female bus driver was reportedly unsure what caused the vehicle to accelerate, but said she saw Ms. Jordan shove several students from the path of the oncoming bus.
Two 10-year-old students sustained injuries that are not life-threatening, while the driver and her 25 passengers did not require treatment. Jordan, who had been the Beverland school’s principal for 22 years, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Susan was an amazing educator. She had a remarkable way of making everyone she came in contact with feel valued and important. She had a passion for children that is unmatched,” the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township Board of Education said in a statement. “The entire Lawrence Township Community mourns her loss and extends our sympathy to the Amy Beverland Community [and] the multitudes of people whose lives she touched.”
The district cancelled classes Wednesday to mourn Jordan’s loss, while making several locations available for “emotional support to our staff and families,” according to the district website.
“This is a great example of an educational leader in our state and our city,” Shawn Smith, the school system’s superintendent, said at a news conference, AP reported.
“Just a phenomenal individual that truly cared about children. This is a tragic situation that we have. This loss is going to ripple across our district of 15,000 students,” Mr. Smith said.
Material from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this report.