School bus driver cranks up heat to punish children, PA cops say. ‘Cook you all’
A school bus driver turned up the heat to punish children on board, telling them he was going to “cook” them, Pennsylvania police say.
The bus driver, 75-year-old Harvey Sliker, is facing charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, the Sugarcreek Borough Police Department said in a Sept. 18 news release.
The kids on the bus were all between 5 and 12 years old, according to police, who said they “worked closely with the Valley Grove Elementary School” to investigate.
Police said they began looking into the matter when multiple students came home “crying and extremely sweaty.” The kids said Sliker ordered them to close all the windows on the bus, and once they had, he told them “I am going to cook you all,” according to police.
Sliker then turned the heater up all the way, despite it being 74 degrees outside, the department said.
Investigators determined that “while the bus windows are up, and the heater is on full blast along with the outside temperature, the cabin of the bus can reach temperatures of 95-100 degrees.”
Police say Sliker also threatened the children with another punishment, telling them he was going to bring a paddle to work the next day.
His actions “placed multiple children … in fear of serious bodily injury,” police said.
Valley Grove School District did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
The district said in a statement to KDKA that it “immediately contacted the transportation contractor responsible for that route to address the situation.”
“The contractor has assured us that the individual will no longer be driving for them, and a new driver began Thursday morning,” the district said, according to KDKA. “We take the safety of our students and school community very seriously, and we appreciate the parents who reached out to bring this matter to our attention, as well as the attention of the Sugarcreek Borough Police Department, who are also working with the district to resolve the issue.”
Sugarcreek Borough is a roughly 90-mile drive northeast from Pittsburgh.
This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 10:31 AM with the headline "School bus driver cranks up heat to punish children, PA cops say. ‘Cook you all’."