TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Seminole County Public Schools bus driver was recognized by the state of Florida for going above and beyond to protect students.

She not only gets her kids to and from school safely but worked to stop a child abduction.

What You Need To Know

  • Romanita Cancel was named the 2023-2024 School Bus Operator of the Year for her work in stopping a potential abduction

  •  Cancel has been a bus driver for Seminole County Public Schools for 15 years and says she always does what she can to keep her kids safe

  •  On Sept. 21, 2023, Cancel intervened and followed a man in a pickup truck after he tried to pull a middle school aged girl into his truck

  • Officials with the Sanford Police Department say Cancel's actions and quick thinking were very helpful with their investigation

Some jobs take a special kind of person to fulfill a role and when it comes to busing children to and from school, Romanita Cancel is one of them.

“Because of my students, because of the kids," she said. "I love them."

She’s been a driver for Seminole County Public Schools for a total of 15 years and even came back after retirement because she missed it so much.

“Doing almost nothing at home, I decided to call my manager and come back to my job,” Cancel said. “I love my job.”

She said one of her strengths is her attention to detail when it comes to keeping students safe.

“Looking around to see my students walking towards the bus stop and be aware of any danger for any of them,” Cancel said.

That was the case on Sept. 21, 2023, when Cancel says she noticed a middle school aged girl walking alone with a black pickup truck riding slowly next to her.

“I saw the girl stop and the pickup truck stopped too,” said Cancel. “And I said, something is strange over here, something is not right.”

She said the man in the truck didn’t notice her, so she continued to slowly follow and watch.

She says she repeatedly saw the little girl tell the pickup truck driver “no” before the man got out of his truck to try to grab her.

“But when I saw him open that door and put his leg outside to grab her, I honked my horn opened my window very close to them, to his pickup truck, and I screamed with all my lungs, 'Hey, what are you doing?'" Cancel said.

That’s when she says the driver jumped back in his car and took off.

“I didn’t think twice. I followed him in this bus,” she said.

Several blocks later, Cancel said she was able to take down his license plate and called her dispatch to notify police.

It was a moment she says lasted only minutes but will stay with her forever.

“I don’t know her name, but I keep seeing her face when I asked her if she knew him," Cancel said. "I still see her face in my mind."

Thinking about what happened that day still makes Cancel very emotional, but officials with the Sanford Police Department say her actions and quick thinking were very helpful with their investigation.

The same appreciation was felt by the state as Cancel was named the 2023-2024 School Bus Operator of the Year, which gave her a free trip to Tallahassee to accept the award.

And while she said she still feels she doesn’t deserve it, it was a moment she will always remember.

“It was amazing," Cancel said. "It’s something that I’m never ever going to forget."