James Jones, Father in School Bus Outburst, Apologizes for Rage Against Daughter's Bullies

Sept. 21, 2010 -- The Florida father who boarded his daughter's school bus and ranted at his daughter's bullies in a profanity and threat-filled rage said his behavior went too far.

"I'd like to still apologize," James Jones said today on "Good Morning America." "I regret for all the kids that weren't involved -- the kids that had nothing to do with this that were on the bus at the time."

Jones inspired nationwide debate after he was caught on camera threatening his daughter's tormenters and even the bus driver. Though he was eventually arrested and charged with two misdemeanors after the incident, parents around the nation took to the Internet to applaud how he stood up for his daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

Jones told "Good Morning America" that he got a call that morning that his 11-year-old daughter did not want to go to school that day and was crying. He came home to console her.

"I said, "I'll walk you, I'll take you to the bus stop,'" Jones said.

"At the time I was really going to confront with the bus driver and ask him what's going on," Jones said.

But as he asked his daughter which kids were the ones who taunted her -- who denied her a seat on the bus and who reportedly threw condoms at her -- he lost it.

The surveillance tape, which blurred out the students faces, but allowed Jones to be heard loud and clear, recorded the entire outburst.

"I'm gonna (expletive) you up. … this is my daughter, and I will kill the (expletive) who fought her," Jones said.

Jones reportedly threatened not only the students but the bus driver as well.

"If anything happens to my daughter I'm going to (expletive) you up and everybody on this (expletive)," he said.

Before leaving, he dares them to call the police.

"You call the police, call them. My brother's the damn deputy sheriff."

Jones now faces up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, according to his lawyer Natalie Jackson. He is facing charges of obstruction of justice and interference with a school function.

"I just took it a little bit too much farther," Jones said.

Their daughter is now in the care of a doctor, being treated for stress, and has not yet returned home. Her mother, Deborah Jones, said the little girl will not be going back to her old school

Police are also investigating the alleged bullies; they could face charges of their own.

An Inappropriate Response?

Though some parents may have cheered Jones' reaction to his daughter's bullies, experts say that sort of intervention may not be the most appropriate response.

But is this sort of intervention -- even if it's not as explosive as Jones' -- appropriate when dealing with childhood bullying? Experts such as don't think so.

"The research is clear -- when we jump in and do that, it helps the kids actually feel worse," child psychologist Dr. Michael Bradley told "Good Morning America" over the weekend. "Because they feel less control, they feel like they can't handle themselves and they feel defenseless without the bodyguard there."

Rather than jumping to their defense, it's better to sit down with the child and discuss what can be done about bullying, Bradley recommended.

And even though his daughter is a special needs student, Bradley feels that this is not an excuse for Jones' behavior. If anything, a child facing challenges like cerebral palsy needs to be even more prepared for these situations, as they can be frequent targets of aggression.

"Consult with the kid so she feels like she's smart, she has some control and she'll be able to handle this in the future," Bradley said. 'We have to help them feel that they can control their environment and protect themselves."

Hundreds of "GMA" viewers sounded off ABCNews.com's message boards about Jones' action. While most didn't approve of his method, the majority showed support for his defense of his daughter.

"Thank god for awesome fathers like the one that defended his daughter," wrote Mindy Isaksen.