A Midlands school bus hijacking concerned many parents and grandparents.

Lexington County districts work with law enforcement to provide safety training for their bus drivers.

In District 5 in Chapin and Irmo, bus drivers receive yearly training from the SC Highway Patrol on how to respond to road hazards and other dangers.

Laura McElveen of District 5 said the training covers a number of scenarios to help them know how to respond to emergencies.

“Over the summer, our school bus drivers will participate in a new training course offered by the State Law Enforcement Division called Active Shooter on a Bus,” she said.

“GPS and cameras are placed on each of our buses as safety measures.”

The suspect in last week’s school bus hijacking incident was identified as a Fort Jackson trainee, Jovan Collazo, 23, from New Jersey.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Collazo was in his 3rd week of training. “I cannot tell you the emotions that you feel when you hear something like that, not just as a sheriff but as a parent,” Lott said.

Lott applauded Richland District 2 staff for training students and drivers to be prepared for emergencies.

He called the bus driver a hero as he remained calm throughout the hijacking.