When you send your children off to school, it is with the hopes that you are putting them in the hands of those who will care for them as you do. On occasion, we get a wake-up call when we hear a story of someone in the school system that steps way over the lines.
That is what happened with Lashonda Griffen, a 29-year-old school bus driver was arrested at the Gates Chili School District’s bus depot. Her crime? Apparently, she got drunk and then took the kids on her bus, some as young as 5 years old, to McDonald’s.
She then took the kids to school and proceeded to pass out. When tested, they found she had a high blood alcohol level.
It started when she was taking children to school that morning. The children ranged in age from five to 16 years old and they were heading for Northstar Christian Academy in Rochester when the stop at McDonald’s took place.
One student said that the bus driver said: “We’re going to stop at McDonald’s quick, don’t tell nobody.” She then took at least 2 kids into McDonald’s to get some breakfast.
One exchange student, TuTran, said: “To be honest, I was a little bit confused by it.”
The police report that the students had already exited the bus when the driver was found passed out behind the wheel. After being subjected to a sobriety test, it was determined she was incapacitated.
“We were definitely very lucky in this situation that all of the children were delivered to school from home safely and that the driver had returned back to the bus garage,” Gates Police Lt. Robert Long said.
Griffin is now facing several DWI charges, as well as charges of child endangerment. She was released after being issued an appearance ticket.
Griffin was working as a bus driver for the school district on a probationary period. At this time, they’re “taking time to review safety protocols with all drivers.”
School officials released a statement, saying:
“The safety of students and employees is the district’s top priority, and we are very grateful that no one was harmed as a result of this individual’s actions.
“We are very sorry that these students and families in this community have been impacted by the unfathomable actions of one person.”
“While the district cannot comment directly on personnel matters, we can say that this is an egregious violation of our policies and practices and will never be tolerated.”