Bus Driver, Monitor Removed From Jobs

A bus driver and a bus monitor who were contracted to work for the Cincinnati Public School system were removed from their jobs after authorities learned they had criminal convictions that disqualified them for employment, school officials said.

The revelations came during background checks on 458 drivers and monitors contracted to work for the district, said the district’s spokeswoman, Janet Walsh.

The driver had a 2005 theft conviction and the monitor had a 2006 shoplifting conviction.

The checks came as the district took advantage of Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann’s offer to perform criminal record reviews on all school bus staff.

The background checks revealed that 112 of the 458 on-board bus staff had a record of some type of arrest over the past 20 years. However, upon review most were approved for continued employment after their records showed their offenses were either minor or they were never convicted.

Of the 112 with arrest records, 11 who had been convicted of more serious offenses had met state rehabilitation standards permitting employment. Only the two people released from their positions were found to have anything serious in their criminal backgrounds, the district said.

Last July, the district began participating in a new state system that performs nightly checks on all licensed school bus drivers to detect any new arrests and convictions that might affect their employment.

Originally published by Post staff report.

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