School Bus Driver's Behavior A Serious Concern

ALBANY, NY (11/09/2013)(readMedia)-- The New York Association for Pupil Transportation deplores the conduct of the Wayne Central School District school bus driver who allegedly drove her school bus while under the influence of alcohol and possibly prescription drugs.

The actions for which she has been charged placed the safety of the children on her school bus in jeopardy. Such behavior and conduct are completely contrary to the training and preparation she is given as a school bus driver in New York.

Additionally, it is inexcusable for a professional and CDL-licensed school bus driver to have driven her personal vehicle later that day with a reported Blood Alcohol Concentration level that was four times the legal limit for a CDL holder. We are further saddened that such actions resulted in a head-on collision with another vehicle that caused serious injuries to another innocent person.

School bus drivers perform a valuable function in our communities and in our schools. They are trained and prepared rigorously to transport our children as safely as possible. Through her actions, this school bus driver has compromised and tarnished the integrity and quality of her fellow drivers.

We want to re-assure parents and the general public of the fine work and the high degree of dedication that more than 50,000 school bus drivers demonstrate each day transporting our children safely and without incident. The yellow school bus remains the safest means for transporting our children to school and home each day.

Given that there are several questions about how this incident was communicated to law enforcement officials, we urge school boards and school leadership to review relevant local policies and we will be offering recommendations to our members accordingly.