SOLON, Ohio — A bus driver for Solon City Schools was fired Tuesday and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence, according to the school district.
School officials said the driver was given a random drug and alcohol test Tuesday morning and found to have a blood-alcohol level of .07, which is above the .04 legal limit. A second test was administered 15 mins later and confirmed the result.
The district said it contacted police immediately and officers arrested the driver.
"We expect that the charges brought today will result in the driver losing their bus driving license for some period of time. Regardless, this driver is no longer employed by the district effective today and will never drive students for the Solon Schools again," the district said.
According to school officials, random drug and alcohol testing is done quarterly but because of today's results, the district will perform random testing on a more frequent basis.
"Student safety is paramount. Conduct that potentially jeopardizes students’ well-being is unacceptable. Our entire transportation department will receive additional in-service training on this critical safety issue just after the first of the year," the district said.
The driver is due in court next week.
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