A bus driver was arrested in Magalia for driving students home while drunk in 2019. That same accusation, in the same school district, was made again this week.
CHP and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) say they responded to the area of Skyway and Perry Road just before 3:00 p.m. Thursday and stopped a Paradise Unified School District (PUSD) bus full of students that ranged from six to 17 years old. PUSD Superintendent Tom Taylor says a parent made this 911 call after their child was dropped off after school and notified them that they believed the driver was drunk.
An officer with CHP tells KRCR that a DUI evaluation was performed but came back negative, meaning no drug or alcohol impairment was noted. The driver was released and, regardless of the negative assessment, parents were called to pick up their children from where the bus was pulled over.
“I would much rather see people overreport in a situation like this than not say anything at all,” says Taylor outside the PUSD offices Friday morning.
Video footage of inside the bus is currently being reviewed by PUSD. As of now, Taylor says the only unusual aspect of this drive was the increased number of times this driver stopped on the side of the road.
“Were students ever in danger?" asks KRCR.
“I do not believe that students were ever in danger. There were some actions on the bus that were not appropriate that required the bus driver to stop the bus, so yes, they were addressing those concerns,” says Taylor. “Students acting out, misbehaving, students hanging out the window."
What led these students to believe the driver was under the influence is unclear. Both CHP and BCSO declined to provide that information. The incident comes two and a half years after another PUSD bus driver was arrested for driving students home while drunk.
“What can you say that’s enduring the bus drivers that you are currently hiring are not going to be driving those students under the influence?” asks KRCR.
“Safety is our number one priority throughout the district. It doesn’t matter if the kids are on the bus or in the classroom. That’s the priority. When we’re hiring drivers, they go through extensive training. We always know that things can happen but one of the key things is testing for our drivers. When we’re talking about substance or alcohol, drivers are tested pre-employment. There’s random testing that takes place throughout the year. We don’t know when that’s going to happen. Even I don’t know when that’s going to happen. Also, our director of transportation, they are trained in testing. If they have any reasonable suspicion that a driver is under the influence, they can test them right then and send (the tests) on for further testing.”
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