Metro Detroit School Bus Driver Fired After Drinking On Job: Officials

HOWELL, MI — A school bus driver for Howell Public Schools was fired after she admitted to drinking alcohol on the job, according to a letter sent by the district.

Other bus drivers at Voyager Elementary alerted school officials their fellow bus driver was not her usual self and behaving strangely in the bus lot on Friday, April 28, officials said.

The bus driver in question then appeared to be experiencing a medical situation in the bus lot and a substitute driver was immediately called in to take over while the bus driver was given medical care, officials said.

When questioning the bus driver, officials said she admitted to drinking alcohol after picking up and dropping off high school and middle school students on that Friday, and before she started her elementary school route.

Livingston Educational Service Agency, an intermediate school district that provides specialized education and support services for students at county schools, then fired the bus driver, officials said.

"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," Michael Hubert, Livingston ESA's superintendent, and Erin MacGregor, Howell Public Schools's superintendent, said in the letter to parents. "This situation serves as a good reminder that choosing to say something when you believe someone needs help is the right thing to do."

The letter also said the incident will be reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration Clearinghouse, a database of violations of the U.S. Department of Transportation's controlled substance drug and alcohol testing program for commercial driver’s license holders.