New Jersey Investigation Uncovers Convicts Driving Kids to School
A recent investigation conducted by Gannett New Jersey uncovered 35 school-bus drivers with criminal convictions who are driving children to school and home. Since the investigation, three of the drivers with criminal records have had their driving endorsements revoked, one of who was convicted of manslaughter in 1992 and the other two were women convicted of endangering the welfare of a child.
Even more shocking is the case of Parrish Jones, a man with prior drug convictions who was hired as a bus aide by a company in Monmouth County to drive middle-school students. Jones is now serving 10 years in prison for giving a 15 year old a near fatal dose of methadone while on a school bus in 2006.
The other 32 drivers with convictions have not had their licenses revoked because state officials say their prior offenses do not warrant the removal of their licenses. State-education officials are now trying to crack down on the background-check process to insure that nobody else slips through the cracks.
Gannett also discovered 148 convicts who received licenses to drive buses in the past, but those licenses have since expired. These drivers included private-bus companies and school districts that operate their own buses.
State education officials are pointing to a failure in the state's fingerprinting system as the cause of so many people not being properly screened. In the case of Parrish Jones, the company he worked for never did a background check on him. After the department of education audited the company, they discovered other employees who did not receive background checks. As a result of this negligence, a boy almost died. Now, education officials are figuring out a penalty system of fines for companies who do not follow through with background checks.
Even more shocking is the case of Parrish Jones, a man with prior drug convictions who was hired as a bus aide by a company in Monmouth County to drive middle-school students. Jones is now serving 10 years in prison for giving a 15 year old a near fatal dose of methadone while on a school bus in 2006.
The other 32 drivers with convictions have not had their licenses revoked because state officials say their prior offenses do not warrant the removal of their licenses. State-education officials are now trying to crack down on the background-check process to insure that nobody else slips through the cracks.
Gannett also discovered 148 convicts who received licenses to drive buses in the past, but those licenses have since expired. These drivers included private-bus companies and school districts that operate their own buses.
State education officials are pointing to a failure in the state's fingerprinting system as the cause of so many people not being properly screened. In the case of Parrish Jones, the company he worked for never did a background check on him. After the department of education audited the company, they discovered other employees who did not receive background checks. As a result of this negligence, a boy almost died. Now, education officials are figuring out a penalty system of fines for companies who do not follow through with background checks.
Labels: background checks, bus drivers, finger prints, school bus drivers
posted by JenWiehl at 3:03 PM
9 Comments:
How utterly ridiculous and tragic that a kid nearly had to die for this to be exposed. When are people going to wake up???!
I am sure that driving a school bus isn't the most attractive position out there, but that doesn't mean that they school districts shouldn't screen their drivers. A simple DMV and Criminal check could be the difference between putting our children on the bus with a sex offender or a career DUI offender.
As we are responsible in the work place, we are also responsible for our children'safety. BACKGROUNDS CHECKS ON ALL EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS!
There is that darn "crack" again. You know the one that all the criminal offenders are slipping through. Ugg, looks like when I have kids I will be driving them to school myself. I say "Get those CRACKS filled."."
Thanks to the NCLB Act students and teachers are forced to meet rigid standards and if the standards are not met they face consequences; but they let CONVICTS drive them to and from school. This is an egregious oversight on the part of the district and the DOE.
Since when does manslaughter make you a bad driver?
Seriously though, if kids are involved get these people searched. Spend what you have to, it'll be worth it in the end.
Anyone that works around kids should be screened thoroughly. This is scary!
Hopefully this story will get employers and companies to run background checks on their employees.
I'm astonished by the incompetency of people in a position to take of our children. I mean, how much a could a decent background check cost? $50? Even less? Check the driver's record, screen him/her for criminal records - sounds pretty simple to me. And it seems pretty cost efficient when compared to firing half your workforce because you hired criminals in the first place.
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