School Bus Driver Fired After Slamming On Brakes To Teach Kids A Lesson

A school bus driver in Colorado reportedly got stripped from his job after getting caught using his brakes as a cruel way to teach students to stay seated -- and he's apparently now facing a slew of charges as a result.

Douglas County School District bus driver Brian Fitzgerald tried to turn a recent ride home from Castle Rock Elementary into a messed up & teachable moment for the kiddos in his vehicle last month, as the security footage shows.

You can see him ask them to sit down, but it seems to fall on deaf ears ... he then offers a word of warning if they don't behave, then suddenly slams on his brakes -- throwing the kids forward with a loud thud, and resulting in a few kids shouting as it happens.

Fitzgerald makes sure they got the message, before demanding again that they all sit down ... it sounds like one kid asks "Why did he do that?" One child was reportedly bleeding on their cheek after getting brake-checked.

He's reportedly been fired from the district, but now is looking at 30 misdemeanor counts of child abuse, as well as a count of child abuse with bodily injuries. Fitzgerald's scheduled to appear in court next month.