(USNewsBreak.com) – When parents put their children on the bus, there’s a reasonable assumption that the drivers will do everything in their capability to keep those kids safe on their trip to and from the school. However, some have shown a careless disregard for basic safety, including one Long Island bus driver who allegedly thought it was a good idea to consume alcohol while driving. He’s now out of a job.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 4. The driver picked up students from Smithtown High School West at the end of the school day when someone spotted an alcoholic beverage open in the cup holder. Someone, it’s not clear who, photographed the incident and notified the district, which recalled the driver. He was then relieved from duty and replaced with another person.
Long Island school bus driver fired for drinking while taking kids home https://t.co/gmPvW5GfD0 pic.twitter.com/NxnjVDBQet
— New York Post (@nypost) October 5, 2023
Superintendent Mark Secaur notified parents in an email about the incident and said, “the district intervened immediately.” The bus company, WE Transport, met the driver at the school and released its own statement on the issue, saying it was “completely unacceptable.” The company noted that they terminated the driver and were cooperating fully with local law enforcement.
While police were notified of the incident and arrived on the scene back at the school where the driver transfer took place, they didn’t see the beverage on the bus. Thus, so far, authorities haven’t charged the driver or arrested him, but there is an active investigation taking place.
This incident took place just a few weeks after a bus accident in New York killed two teachers from another Long Island school district and critically injured five students. In that tragic incident, high school band members were traveling to a camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, when the bus they were on veered off the interstate and tumbled down a ravine. The driver wasn’t to blame, at least according to initial reports, which say the vehicle had a bad front tire.
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