I read this Journal Star article with a combination of horror and incredulity:
About a week after a District 150 bus driver [Gary H. Stewart, 46] was arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence when he crashed into two parked cars and sent more than a dozen children to two Peoria hospitals, the School Board fired him. Driving while under the influence in Syracuse is a serious offense. It can lead to you losing your driving privileges, possibly getting jail time, and it may even trickle down to other aspects of your life, such as your chances of employment.
Stewart, hired by the school district last year, had been arrested numerous times on various charges ranging from armed robbery to attempted murder, as well as a drug conviction, according to Peoria County circuit clerk records.
But sources at District 150 say they knew only of a misdemeanor conviction for criminal damage to property and a felony conviction for retail theft – which both date back to the 1980s – and did not know of the 1993 drug conviction, nor other arrests. They said it was not on the criminal history check conducted by the Illinois State Police.
Transcripts from the Illinois State Police Criminal History Record Check Information database include records of arrests, state’s attorney filing decisions, court dispositions, sentence information and custodial data, but law permits only conviction information to be disseminated to the public.
Officials with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office also said they did not know about the drug conviction, which under law would have prevented Stewart from receiving a bus driving permit.
Tammi Kestel, assistant bureau chief of the Illinois State Police’s Bureau of Identification based in Joliet, said some arrests and conviction information may fall through the cracks because they are not reported to them.
Some arrests and conviction information may fall through the cracks? That’s comforting. I mean, it’s just our children’s lives that are at stake. Let’s not get too concerned about it, right? Hey, convictions sometimes just don’t get reported, so convicts may be driving your kids’ school bus. And your children might be in danger. But, not to worry. We’ve determined that the following agencies are not to blame: District 150, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification. Don’t you feel better now?
You said it perfectly. Where is the community outrage? I sometimes wonder if we live in the twilight zone.
Was he a relative of Hinton? Just askin.
Some bus drivers, such as the one I clocked going in excess of 55 mph down University shouldn’t even have a drivers license, much less a bus license.
I live close to the bus barn and it is ridiculous how fast the bus drivers are driving through my neighborhood. It is just a matter of time before a child gets hit. The city would make a lot of money if there was a cop taking radar when the drivers are going back to the bus barn.
I have always said District 150 drivers are scary. Even blogged about it. Someone asked; “Where’s the outrage?” What exactly should we (the people) do? The guy was arrested and charged with a DUI and other charges. He lost his job from day of accident to official notice by the Board. What rage do you expect. Picks and axes with torches and mass at the jail? Haven’t we had enough hate directed towards this District? Why don’t you all just burn down the District offices and closed the schools. Kids stay home and get your education from your parents and, what the hell, the blogs. More wisdom on blogs than anywhere right?
We live (or supposed to) in a civilized society and abide by those laws. This guy has been duly charged.
I don’t see a line of concerned parents lining up for bus driving jobs and they are short drivers so they are hiring.
Somebody, Emtronics, or probably more than one somebody, despite all the claims of not being to blame, screwed up, or this guy would not have gotten the job. And let’s drop the “hate” stuff. People are rightfully disgusted and very displeased with the way that District is run, but “hate”? Give me a break! That’s just the latest claim thrown out to avoid responsibility.
Outrage yes…but not towards that 1 driver. Yes, he got busted and will have to pay the consequences in court. I am referring more to the broken system of District 150 Transportation. It seems like the transportation dept is always having problems from pickups/dropoffs to no shows to now the criminal backgrounds that are not complete. How is the city bus system? Perhaps they would be more competent. Just a thought.
First it isn’t disgust, it is hate. As for Transportation being screwed up, what facts do you have? They buy new buses every other year, the fleet is well maintained. The only shortage are drivers and they don’t exactly have a line of people waiting for those jobs. This guy shouldn’t have been hired but the District did a background check and he passed according to the agencies that provide the district that info. NOT THE DISTRICTS FAULT this time. Give me a break Mouse. Everything was done correctly in this case and the driver screwed up. He got fired. He got charged. Broken system? Everything is broken in some eyes. Transportation is one thing the District does pretty well considering what they have to work with. Don’t like it? Step up and drive a bus. I just might when I retire in a few months.
Emtronics, I am inclined to agree about this particular bus driver; however, District 150 can no longer do transportation well because too many kids are being bused–the district can no longer find enough drivers. Do you have any idea how many students are not getting to school on time this year and how many buses just don’t show up at all? The teenager in my life didn’t get to Richwoods for early bird band two or three times last week. The reason given was that the driver called in sick–but nobody notifies the students, so they just stand on the corner. The district closed schools without giving much thought to problems finding bus drivers. I just wonder how long it will be before 150 realizes they just can’t handle the transportation problems. Of course, maybe they could raise the pay (and benefits) to attract drivers.
Sometimes things get lost in the shuffle of information. Being charged with a crime and being convicted of one are two different things. This is where records get confused. But actually research should include all records, charged and convicted. This would prevent a lot of things from falling through the cracks.
SD, correct. Things did get confused especially when it came to the District checking this driver’s background. This driver is charged with a crime and unless he has Perry Mason as a lawyer, I don’t see how he can weasel out of this.
Sharon: I do understand that students are arriving late mainly because of the lack of drivers and mostly because some choose to call in sick and or don’t bother showing up. That is not the District’s fault. They have a crappy workforce and it also happens in food service.
As for busing, did you know that some students who qualify for free busing don’t even bother to board the bus after school?
Yes, I know that some don’t board the bus. Right now, I believe that some former Woodruff students probably are walking home (not sure about coming to school) instead of riding the bus. I would guess they won’t do so when winter gets here. I disagree with you about it not being the district’s fault. First, the workforce, as you have stated before about the cafeteria workers, aren’t paid enough–so the draw for good employees isn’t there. Mostly, the district should have considered the major busing problems before closing schools, especially Woodruff. Because students live so far from school, it is the district’s responsibility to get the kids to school–and to insure their safety.
Emtronics..you are a bit dramatic.
dramatic! You’ll never see me marching in front of the district.
And yet….at the same time, school bus drivers and cafeteria workers are paid minimum wage for part-time, seasonal work. They receive ZERO retirement and ZERO medical insurance benefits. Brilliant! And where else should people who possess felony convictions for non-violent crimes work? Not everyone wants to work at McDonalds.
Given that kind of compensation, what kind of applicants do school administrators expect to hire?
EM: I have to disagree. There should be protest crowds outside the Dist 150 headquarters. They have to be educated that this is not acceptable.