(WXYZ) — A bus driver in Howell has been fired after admitting to drinking on the job.
In a letter to parents, the district says the bus driver appeared to be suffering a medical emergency on Friday, April 28 in the parking lot of Voyager Elementary School. After receiving medical attention, she admitted to consuming alcohol, but claims it was in between runs and that she did not drive drunk with kids on board.
The superintendent of the Livingston ESA, which employs the bus driver, says she has been a driver for a few years and has had no prior incidents similar to this. Parents still express concern.
"There’s outrage," said parent Susan Greeneisen. "People are scared and they’re livid."
The woman who was fired is the bus driver for Greeneisen's 5th grade daughter.
“My daughter told me earlier this week her bus driver had a seizure," Greeneisen said. "I got the email yesterday afternoon and was like 'yep, that explains whatever happened.'”
In the email, Livingston LSA Superintendent Michael Huber explained in part "We now know, through the Agency’s investigation, the bus driver admitted she consumed alcohol after completing her high school/middle school run on Friday and before she started her elementary run. Other bus drivers at Voyager Elementary noticed the driver was not her usual self and reported their observations to the transportation office which is what led to the substitute driver taking over for the elementary run.
When the driver admitted to consuming alcohol, her employment was immediately terminated by the Livingston Educational Service Agency."
“This one time she gets caught right? But you wonder about every other day, every other afternoon,” Greeneisen said.
Greeneisen is also skeptical about the driver's claim she only drank after dropping off middle and high school students, given the tight time frame before elementary pick up. She worries the driver may have been intoxicated while driving other students.
"I don't buy that," Greeneisen said of the driver's claim. "There’s way too short of a window there. She would've had to chug quite a bit of alcohol in order to get that inebriated that she needed medical attention.”
While the driver was immediately fired, no charges have been announced yet. Livingston ESA says Howell Police are investigating, but the department did not return calls Friday. Parents like Greeneisen are hopeful that more answers and charges come soon.
"I want time served," Greeneisen said. "I want her to serve time and I hope they find a way to do that.”
While the blood alcohol content of the driver was not provided, in the State of Michigan commercial drivers are held to a higher standard and can be given DUIs with a BAC of .04 or higher, which is half the standard legal limit.
Dr. Hubert also added in his email "We are very thankful for the actions of the other bus drivers who saw something that did not meet with their expectations for professional conduct and acted on their observations. This situation serves as a good reminder that choosing to say something when you believe someone needs help is the right thing to do.
In addition to terminating the employment of the driver, the Livingston Educational Service Agency will report this situation to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration Clearinghouse, a database of violations of the U.S. Department of Transportation controlled substance drug and alcohol testing program for holders of a commercial driver’s license. All bus drivers are subject to random drug and alcohol screenings while employed and the Livingston Educational Service Agency has a zero-tolerance policy for violations."
