MASON, Ohio — A former Mason City Schools bus driver was fired from their position and now faces charges of child endangerment tied to an incident at the end of last school year, the school district announced on Tuesday.
According to Mason police, the driver is James Vance, and he was charged Monday with 46 counts of endangering children. The police report sent to WCPO by Mason investigators was heavily redacted, but said officers received a complaint that Vance had been intoxicated while on the job.
District officials said the incident happened on the last day of school, which was May 30. Since then, the district has been working with the City of Mason Police Department, which charged the driver Monday, the district said.
According to the notice from Mason City Schools, a different transportation department employee reported the driver smelled of alcohol.
"We swiftly initiated an investigation, and the driver was promptly removed from their route," reads the notice from the district. "Regrettably, 10 Mason High School and 21 Mason Early Childhood students were driven to school before the driver was taken off duty."
The driver was placed on leave, and as of Tuesday no longer works for the district, the notice says.
"We are deeply disturbed by the actions of this former driver, which are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mason City Schools," Superintendent Jonathan Cooper said. "The safety and well-being of each and every student in our care is our top priority. We are grateful for the men and women who safely transport our students to and from school each day, and are committed to enhancing our safety protocols to ensure that all our drivers meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility."
The district said the parents and families of all 31 children on board the bus the day the driver was placed on leave have been notified; any parents who did not receive an email or phone call did not have a child on that bus that day, the district said.
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