Three Woodmore students still in critical condition; 5 total remain hospitalized

Five Woodmore Elementary students remain in the hospital following last week's fatal bus crash on Talley Road. Three of the students are still listed in critical condition, according to Hamilton County Schools Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly.

Standing outside of Woodmore Elementary School, Kelly said about 85 percent of Woodmore's students returned to school Monday. 

Staff at the school worked to make the day as normal and supportive for students as possible, Kelly said.  

The school had 15 counselors, five therapy dogs and hundreds of teddy bears and hugs for students, said Woodmore Elementary School's Principal Brenda Adamson-Cothran.

"Our hearts continue to be broken and we are deeply grieving," she said. "Our goal for today was to make sure we created and had a stable, safe and comforting school environment for our students."

"It was a good day for our kids," she continued. 

It's been a week since a bus carrying 37 Woodmore Elementary School students crashed in a yard off Talley Road in Brainerd, killing six students.

On Monday of last week, 24-year-old Johnthony Walker was driving fast when he lost control of the bus, striking a telephone pole and a tree.  The bus toppled and twisted around a tree, and it took emergency responders hours to remove all of the trapped kids from the bus.  

Walker was arrested after the crash and is facing six counts of vehicular homicide and one count each of reckless driving and reckless endangerment. 

Parents, students and Adamson-Cothran voiced concerns about Walker before the crash, records released by the Hamilton County Department of Education show. Despite numerous complaints, Walker continued driving the bus.