Girl, 9, Says She Was Raped By 13-Year-Old On School Bus

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20091112/NEWS0102/911130357/0/NEWS0103/CPS-bus-firm-to-lose-license

In May, the Cincinnati school board signed an exclusive contract with First Student, giving it all of the district’s routes and cutting ties with Petermann and Riggs, two local firms. The board’s majority said the exclusive contract could save $8 million over five years.

“It’s unfortunate that the board made the decision that it did, as far as I’m concerned,” said Eve Bolton, who voted against the exclusive deal and supported a rival measure to split the business with Petermann and First Student.

“But the board did make that decision, and it’s the decision we’re living with right now.”

Further investigation found that the company hadn’t performed background checks on any of its 60 drivers, the Dispatch reported – a revelation that caused Columbus City Schools to shut down for one day.

The company entered into an agreement with state regulators in November 2007, putting the company on probation for two years and issuing a 180-day license revocation, which was stayed. Without any violations, the probation would have ended Saturday.

However, Public Safety Department lawyer Joshua Engel wrote on Monday that the state now intends to invoke “part or all” of the six-month suspension because of the lack of background check documentation.

First Student has 10 days to justify why it shouldn’t lose its license.

During an audit over the summer, First Student, based in downtown Cincinnati, could not provide documentation of criminal history checks for a handful of drivers, according to a letter sent Monday by Cathy Collins-Taylor, the director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The problems were apparently limited to about six of the state’s 1,100 drivers, all at First Student’s Miami Valley location, outside of Dayton.

In addition, the drivers did not have required medical certification on file.

The potential license revocation is unrelated to the alleged assault.

http://www.wlwt.com/news/21600769/detail.html

CINCINNATI — The company that provides bus service for Cincinnati Public and other area schools could lose its license for up to six months because some of its drivers do not have background checks on file.

Tom Hunter, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said the violations were related to drivers in a school district near Dayton, but First Student Inc. could be suspended as part of an agreement with the state after a similar incident in 2007 involving nearly 60 Columbus drivers.

Hunter calls the timing of this latest investigation unfortunate, as the probationary period for the 2007 incident was set to expire this weekend.

Officials said First Student Inc. may meet with the state department as early as Friday. The state said First Student is cooperating with the investigation and is hopeful that a resolution will be made by the first of the year.

First Student is also currently part of an investigation into a 9-year-old girl’s claim that a 13-year-old boy forced her to perform oral sex on him Nov. 2 while riding home from Roberts Paideia Academy.

Three separate investigations are under way by the CPS, First Student and Cincinnati police, and the transportation company said it has cooperated with police and school officials.

The girl’s mother said the bus driver told her afterward that he witnessed the assault, and the company’s written policy states that drivers who witness serious offenses must stop the bus and call for assistance.

The possibility of suspension relating to missing background checks is not related to the alleged rape case, which remains under investigation.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091112/NEWS0102/911130357/CPS+bus+firm+could+lose+license

The school bus company that services Cincinnati Public Schools and three other Southwest Ohio districts could lose its license to transport students in Ohio for up to six months because some of its drivers didn’t have required criminal background checks on file.

If First Student Inc. is punished by state regulators, more than 22,000 students in Greater Cincinnati could be without a ride to classes as early as January. The company has contracts with Cincinnati Public, Reading, Wyoming and New Miami schools.

CPS spokeswoman Janet Walsh said she does not believe a service disruption is likely, based on district officials’ conversations with state officials.

Walsh would not discuss what alternatives the district would have if First Student, which transports all of its K-8 students, were prohibited from operating in the state.

High schoolers use Metro buses.

“It’s a matter of conjecture, and we prefer to deal in facts,” Walsh said.

First Student is at the center of an unrelated scandal over an alleged rape of a 9-year-old girl on a school bus earlier this month.

This isn’t the first time First Student has been in trouble for background-check problems, said Tom Hunter, spokeman for the Ohio Department of Public Safety. He said the facts in this case are similar to an incident in 2007 that resulted in two years’ probation.

In January 2007, Columbus police pulled over a First Student driver for making an improper turn. Police found two syringes and cocaine on the bus near the driver, according to the Columbus Dispatch. No students were on the bus.

Further investigation found that the company hadn’t performed background checks on any of its 60 drivers, the Dispatch reported – a revelation that caused Columbus City Schools to shut down for one day.

The company entered into an agreement with state regulators in November 2007, putting the company on probation for two years and issuing a 180-day license revocation, which was stayed. Without any violations, the probation would have ended Saturday.

However, Public Safety Department lawyer Joshua Engel wrote on Monday that the state now intends to invoke “part or all” of the six-month suspension because of the lack of background check documentation.

First Student has 10 days to justify why it shouldn’t lose its license.

During an audit over the summer, First Student, based in downtown Cincinnati, could not provide documentation of criminal history checks for a handful of drivers, according to a letter sent Monday by Cathy Collins-Taylor, the director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The problems were apparently limited to about six of the state’s 1,100 drivers, all at First Student’s Miami Valley location, outside of Dayton.

In addition, the drivers did not have required medical certification on file.

“Obviously we’re eager to get a response from First Student and to have a better understanding of what exactly occurred here,” Hunter said. “But based on our review within the (Ohio Highway) Patrol, this did not appear to be a widespread problem.”

First Student spokeswoman Glenda Lamont said the company had received the letter, but did not know the specific problems uncovered by the audit and therefore could not specifically respond. The company is seeking further details from the state, she said.

“During the audit process First Student cooperated fully with the auditors and we were not made aware of any problematic issues,” Lamont said.

First Student is the country’s largest private school bus company, transporting more than 4 million students daily in 40 states and eight Canadian provinces.

Collins-Taylor sent the letter as news was breaking that a 13-year-old boy allegedly forced a 9-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him on a First Student bus last week.

The victim’s mother was not informed for three days.

CPS, the bus company and Cincinnati police continue to investigate that incident.

The potential license revocation is unrelated to the alleged assault.

In May, the Cincinnati school board signed an exclusive contract with First Student, giving it all of the district’s routes and cutting ties with Petermann and Riggs, two local firms. The board’s majority said the exclusive contract could save $8 million over five years.

“It’s unfortunate that the board made the decision that it did, as far as I’m concerned,” said Eve Bolton, who voted against the exclusive deal and supported a rival measure to split the business with Petermann and First Student.

“But the board did make that decision, and it’s the decision we’re living with right now.”