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Bus Driver Arrested After She Fails to Bring Students Home in Storm

One student walked 1.6 miles to his home in Naugatuck, while another waited 90 minutes for his father at McDonald's, police say.

 

A female bus driver was arrested by warrant Wednesday after a teenager accused her of forcing him to walk home 1.6 miles during a snow storm last month and another.

Police say Keyla Rivera, 36, of 37 Chapel St., New Haven, was having difficulty driving in the snow on Nov. 7 as she attempted to transport two students from their school in New Haven to their homes in Naugatuck, police said. 

At one point on the ride from New Haven to Naugatuck, Rivera's bus got stuck in Seymour and the students - 14-and-15-year-old males, respectively - tried to help get the bus moving again by helping to push it, police said. A snow plow driver eventually helped lead the bus toward Naugatuck, and Rivera drove to the McDonald's parking lot in Crosspointe Plaza on New Haven Road, Route 63.

Rivera then told the students the roads were getting too slick and she could not take them all the way home as she was supposed to, police said.

The 15-year-old called his father and waited for about 90 minutes to be picked up at McDonald's, police said. The 14-year-old walked home 1.6 miles in the snow, police said.

Rivera was charged with risk of injury and reckless endangerment.

Police said the bus is owned by First Student in New Haven. WTNH, News 8, is reporting that First Student told the station Rivera has a "fine driving record" but has been place on leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Sam December 14, 2012 at 11:15 am
Um I used to walk 1.8 miles home in snow, rain, you name it. This was two years ago too! The rule in Naugatuck you have to live two miles from the shook in order to get a bus so if they went to school in Naugatuck she would have had to walk it anyway.
TMV99 December 14, 2012 at 11:54 am
this is why I bring and pick up my kids from school
Bryan Cottrell December 14, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Funny how someone gets arrested for something I see middle school kids doing everyday. These middle school students are younger than the ones mentioned in this article. I do not agree in the manner in which it happened, but is a bit much to be charging this driver with a crime. Question is, did the student choose to walk home or did the driver tell him/her to. Does anyone have that answer?
SuperDave December 14, 2012 at 12:50 pm
Based upon the facts in this article, I appears this bus driver did nothing wrong. In fact, she did the safest thing by stopping in a public place off the road where the kids could wait inside the warm McDonalds instead of continuing to try to drive in weather that she obviously could not handle. She obviously struggled driving the bus in this weather as she needed assistance by a snowplow driver just to get back to Naugatuck. How can this be a crime? And forced? She forced someone to walk? Did she prevent this "forced" student from calling someone for a ride? Perhaps we will get more facts.
Voice Of Reason December 14, 2012 at 01:06 pm
Are you serious ? Come-on
The bus drivers responsibility is to do her job and drop off the kids where they were picked up. Ok this time it was a mile or so what if next time it was 3 miles or more? If this is acceptable why not all bus drivers decide well,close enough get out! Why didn't she call dispatch? Why didn't she call the police? She definitely should LOSE her job! Might be safe for her but what if one of these kids were hurt or worse then where would you be with ,she did the right thing? Wake up, The ORIGINAL Voice Of Reason!
naugy mom December 14, 2012 at 01:10 pm
The point is he was under her care and she was suppose to drive him home not make him walk what if he was hit and killed? She should have stayed with him till the roads were safe or a parent could be reached end of story, fire her!
SILENT WOLF December 14, 2012 at 01:26 pm
I would say that what she did was not the best choice , what she should have done is called bus dispatch or perhaps called local authorities , so that they perhaps could have contacted the parents to bring these kids home. Yeah I walked home , sometimes more than a mile, but once you take the responsibility for their safety you are just that liable for anything that might happen..I don't believe she should be charged only educated.....
Paul Singley (Editor) December 14, 2012 at 01:27 pm
Hey Bry. Police did not say in their narrative but I will double check. Good question. Thanks. Hope you're doing well.
Paul Singley (Editor) December 14, 2012 at 01:34 pm
SuperDave: Point taken on the word "forced" in the headline. I took it out. I left it in the first sentence because that is the claim from the student. And you have all of the information we have at this point. I will work on getting more. Thanks.
TMV99 December 14, 2012 at 01:46 pm
I agree voice of reason and Naugy mom ! well said :)
Carolyn M. Capozziello December 14, 2012 at 01:50 pm
Having lived in the middle of Horton Hill for eight years, a long time ago, I was witness to many buses sliding backwards and landing in someone's front yard while the bus was full of kids on the way up the hill in a snowstorm. Depending on how much further her journey was, it was probably safer for her to do what she did. I won't go into how many miles I walked to school, because I did it to save the bus fare...in Bridgeport we had to get to school on our own at our own cost. As for the middle school kids walking, or those under 2 miles, the way Naugy calls off school for one snowflake these days, its pretty safe to say those kids got home well before the peak of the storm.
Furthermore, while she tried to do the right thing, by not going any further, by all means she should have called her dispatcher for advice or called Naugatuck PD for help. You cannot just throw the kids off the bus and leave. For that she should have been suspended without pay, but firing her is a bit too much. Just saying.
Bryan Cottrell December 14, 2012 at 02:26 pm
Voice of reason and others. You have no idea what the bus driver did. How do you know she didn't call dispatch. Do you want someone driving your kids in condotions they feel are unsafe? I don't. Based on the statments of many, should she have kept driving? Do you know of the kid got off the bus and decided to walk? My guess is the driver didn't say " Hey kid you gotta walk" Wait for the FACTS before saying she should be fired. I bet you would hate it if your employer was so quick to act. This was a 14 year old not a grade school kid. On another note, doing good Paul.
kara December 14, 2012 at 02:39 pm
If she kept driving and crashed they would charge
her with re and roi then too.
Bryan Cottrell December 14, 2012 at 03:18 pm
Just read an article on this matter in another paper. According to police the teens were dropped off at McDonalds and the driver left. My previous comments were based on the thought that the driver waited with the teens. My stance has changed, I believe a suspension with a last chance agreement and extensive retraining with weekly reviews is warranted. The fact is though any of these things will not teach this driver common sense. I do not agree with the felony charge though. I think that is too extensive. I am surprised that the student who ended up walking didn't ask someone to use their phone or ask to use the McDonalds phone. The driver could have also given the teens number to dispatch to habe them call. As a parent, if my child was that late I would have also called the police. I would be in my car driving the bus route in reverse looking for my child as well. There are many different variables that could or should have happened here. Bottom line is that the kids are safe.
Voice Of Reason December 14, 2012 at 04:07 pm
Glad you changed your mind Bryan,
I clearly looked at as if the Bus broke Down or was say stuck on a hill would the bus driver release the bus occupants to leave the bus then? NO way! It is his or her responsibility to get these kids to their destination safely! In my opinion this was definitely a very serious flaw in her decision making skills! I came to my decision solely based on she was charged with a crime if she would have called the police or her dispatch it would have been noted and she would have not been charged. The police or her boss would have contacted the kids parents and got them home safety by alternative means .She was lucky nothing happened to these kids. The Original Voice Of Reason!
Voice Of Reason December 14, 2012 at 04:25 pm
Sorry can not edit::
Just the thought of her just dropping the kids off and leaving makes me cringe! Even if the kids says this is OK we can walk ,the kids cannot make that decision. Kara, If she did crash 1.3 miles from the kids home would it be OK for the kids to walk home from there? If the buss has a flat or a mechanical break down ok walk home? IT IS ALL THE SAME! Seriously I find it hard to believe that you or anyone can over look the fact that those kids safety is her responsibility until they arrive back to there designated drop off or pick up. it is her JOB! If one of those kids were abducted or hit by a car I'd bet everyone would be out for her blood! Since they arrived home safely it's oh well I've walked further! There is a reason they are bused . It is either the length of the walk or their safety as in traffic sidewalks etc etc ! I live in that area go ahead walk on New Haven Road cars whip by 50/60 MPH plus we had in climate weather. There is minimal sidewalks also in that area. Not a place to be walking!
Dawnie Rotten December 14, 2012 at 05:07 pm
Where do they get off charging this woman with a FELONY??
Awww.....poor little 14-15 y/o had to WALK home. I see kids that age and younger walking around down town at 9-10-11 o'clock at night. Wonder how far from home they had to walk to get there?! Put me on her Jury.....NULLIFY!
kara December 14, 2012 at 06:08 pm
I'm not saying she was right I'm just saying either way it would be a charge. I also didn't know she left. I totally agree with Bryan. Also, this is why I pick my kids up when schools dismissed because of weather. I prefer to err on the side of caution.
SILENT WOLF December 15, 2012 at 02:32 am
I wondered and left this question out .......Is she a mom ??? mmmm
barb December 15, 2012 at 03:59 am
i dont believe she committed a crime, so what this kid walk home, they do it all the time when there not in school, walking all over the street past 10 at nite,were not talking about a lil kid, hes a 14 yr ,, 15 yr give me a break , ,, im sure he want farter places, the girl was scare drivin this kid home , i rather see him walk then get into a accident. so lay off this poor girl, and she dont desearve to loose her job.
Voice Of Reason December 15, 2012 at 05:25 am
Trying to understand those that feel it's ok to have a job driving a school bus and just drop kids off where ever you chose to! So you feel she has no responsibility for their safety because kids walk around streets all the time.
So just drop it bring her into the office and commend her on a job well done! Now next time she feels it's to slippery she pulls into Naugatuck drops off a bus load of kids says good luck get walking suckers? I wonder if it was your kid you'd feel the same? When she was in Seymour and got stuck thankfully she didn't make them walk from there! It is and was here responsibility to ensure their safety and should have called the police or her boss and ask what she should do. Obviously one kid wasn't ok with walking as he waited 90 mins for a ride. The older one mind you,maybe he was tired from pushing the bus! Yet another risk of injury. Imagine if the kid got ran over from the bus? The women does not belong behind the wheel of a school bus!
SILENT WOLF December 15, 2012 at 06:08 am
If she loses her job , maybe she can get a job as a DCF. worker most of them are measure up to her mentality,,
Voice Of Reason December 15, 2012 at 02:38 pm
I will admit I had not read the report in the Wtby Republican prior to my comments here and now that I have I stand 100% behind what I've written.
Here the parent called the police because their kid was not home and he walked up while the officer was there taking the report and people feel that the police are being harsh? Not in my eyes The Original Voice of Reason
SILENT WOLF December 15, 2012 at 03:51 pm
Didn't any of these scenarios come up in training ?Shouldn't these driver go thru a 1st day back training review , so that these things don't happen , like leaving kids on the bus , because they didn't clear it . As bus drivers I am sure most know they hold a big responsibility ...After reviewing the situation I would say this driver was totally wrong and should face the consequence. make her an example of what not to do... bus driver needs to know more than driving a bus they have to use common sense as well, the trainers also need to be sure these are capable people to take our kids to school and back safely.. I f she wants to hold on to her job , she needs to go through a probation period where her activities are monitored to some degree, I f not sh-- can her.

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