NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS 2007

Nearly One-Quarter Of Cincinnati School Bus Drivers Arrested Since 1991
September 30, 2007

Cincinnati Public Schools is the first district in Hamilton County to do instant criminal checks on school bus drivers. The results of the first round of instant checks provided some eye-opening surprises.

The very first "instant criminal background checks" on school bus drivers in Cincinnati found that out of 458 school bus drivers, almost one in every four, or 111 of them, have been arrested on 242 charges.

Those charges include six drunk driving charges, 12 drug charges and 25 domestic violence charges. "I was surprised. The percentage is high. I'm concerned mainly about the substance abuse issues," Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann tells 9News.

Some parents of children are also concerned.

"I am surprised," said Michael Graham, father of two. "It shocks me that the people who parents entrust their children to, have this sort of background."

These new instant checks could cost some CPS bus drivers their jobs. Charges that, by state law, can disqualify someone from driving a school bus include:

driving while intoxicated(DUI) or operating a vehicle under the influence(OVI)convictions within 6 years, drug abuse, drug trafficking convictions, domestic violence and child endangering convictions.

Hartmann says he's not just surprised by finding the number of arrests among Cincinnati school bus drivers, but he says he's even more surprised by how many Hamilton County school districts haven't taken him up on his offer of free criminal background checks for school bus drivers.

"The state requires only two checks a year, but that's only of driving records," Hartmann said. "But we can give them full criminal checks daily. It's an instant notification."

Meanwhile, Graham says when his children, Ryan and Ellie, start attending school in Anderson Township, he hopes his district will do the instant checks. "[It] definitely reminds you, you always have to check your kids' environments, even when you put them in expected and trusted hands," Graham adds.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati Public School officials tell 9News they are very serious about school bus safety. If the checks find anyone that shouldn't be driving a bus for Cincinnati public schools, they, in the spokeswoman's words, "will be taken off the road.'

Reported by: Bill Price

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