Story Published:
Nov 11, 2009 at 9:45 PM MST
Story Updated:
Nov 12, 2009 at 6:14 AM MST
BILLINGS - Recent cases of school bus drivers accused of behaving badly are putting First Student Bus Services in the limelight.
Gary Dykes' 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, is recovering after Billings school bus driver, Tim Whalen, allegedly hit her in a crosswalk. "I'm sure all the parents out there would feel the same way, worried about their children. Since this has happened, I haven't slept."
Whalen is accused of getting behind the wheel with a blood alcohol limit over the legal limit. In Illinois, First Student bus driver, Mario Meschino, is charged with distribution of child pornography. Another Illinois bus driver is accused of taking 41 seventh graders on a terrifying ride that ended in what prosecutors believe was a drug-induced crash.
The company responsible for hiring these drivers says they consider these isolated cases that should not overshadow the good work most drivers do everyday.
First Student Spokeswoman Maureen Richmond says, "Those instances are unacceptable. Certainly, we would take any instance that is out of the ordinary very, very seriously. As par for the course in any incident, we would first suspend the associate and conduct a full internal investigation. But I can assure your viewers that First Student's pre-employment background checks are recognized as the most extensive in the industry."
Superintendent Jack Copps says he's alerted First Student that its $3.1 million dollar contract with School District 2 is on the line if safety is not the number one priority.
"First Student understands that. They also expressed their concern. We've just got to make sure this series of events doesn't continue to go on."
Copps says all school buses are equipped with cameras. But should surveillance go one step further? He says, "We could administer breathalyzer tests to every bus driver who gets on a bus in this district. That may be overdoing it, frankly. But, we can't afford to have another person drive a school bus that's been drinking."
First Student officials say they already have a multi-million dollar background checking system in place to ensure safety. Copps says regardless of the safeguards, there's always the possibility of drivers who will slip through the cracks. Yet, he hopes the few drivers who are accused of behaving badly do not wreck the reputation of those who care.
"Those drivers told me repeatedly. It's fixed in my head: understand, we are the most embarrassed people, the most angry people because of this incident because it all subtracts from what we love to do."
First Student Bus Services transports 4 million children every day across North America.
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