A school bus driver in southeastern Massachusetts is under investigation after authorities say he allegedly urinated inside a bus while transporting young students to an elementary school.
The incident occurred March 30, as the bus was on route to Hoyle Elementary School, according to a news release from the Swansea Police Department.
Police said preliminary findings indicate that the 71-year-old driver pulled the bus over during the route and instructed students to move to the back. He then allegedly remained in the driver’s seat and relieved himself inside the vehicle while the children were still on board.
After the incident, the driver completed the route and dropped off the students at the school, authorities said. The situation came to light when some of the children reported what had happened to school staff, prompting an investigation by school officials and police.
“This type of behavior in the presence of children, especially young children, is unacceptable,” a statement reads.
Authorities said there were 12 children on the bus at the time, ranging from pre-kindergarten to second grade. Police noted that investigators currently believe none of the students directly witnessed the act itself.
School officials notified the parents of all children who were on the bus. The driver, who has not been publicly identified, is no longer permitted to operate within the Swansea Public Schools system. Police said the school district informed Amaral Bus Company, the transportation provider for the district, that the driver has been removed from service.
In addition, Swansea Public Schools is reviewing its relationship with the company and considering measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As of Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed against the driver. Detectives are continuing to investigate the allegations.
School officials have also filed a report with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families in accordance with standard procedures. Officials emphasized the seriousness of the matter and said the investigation remains ongoing.
Police arrested a 71-year-old school bus driver in Florida and charged him with lascivious molestation after a 9-year-old student reported inappropriate behavior during a school bus ride.
According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, the case began March 4, when a school resource deputy received a report about concerning behavior involving a bus driver. The school bus driver allegedly asked a 9-year-old student to lift her dress while she was riding a school bus.
Deputies immediately launched a preliminary investigation. According to the press release, investigators gathered additional information during follow-up interviews that prompted the case to be referred to the agency’s Criminal Investigations Division for further review.
Authorities identified the suspect as Edwin Garcia of Port St. Lucie. Following the investigation, Garcia was arrested and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under the age of 12 by an offender 18 years of age or older, officials said.
Garcia was transported to the St. Lucie County Jail for processing. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active, and anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact authorities.
A school bus driver is facing dozens of charges after authorities say she drove a bus carrying 54 elementary school children while heavily intoxicated.
An arrest warrant was issued for Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown. She is charged with driving under the influence, 54 counts of endangering the welfare of children, 54 counts of reckless endangerment and several summary offenses, according to the office of Kevin R. Steele and Robert B. Evans.
Police said the drunk driving incident with children on board occurred around 4 p.m. Feb. 6 in Douglass Township after authorities received reports of a school bus driving erratically, narrowly missing other vehicles and nearly striking a telephone pole.
An officer located the bus near Second Avenue and Gilbert Road, where it had come to rest in a snowbank.
Investigators said the bus belonged to Quigley Bus Service. Officers reported finding an open 750-milliliter bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka on the bus, along with two empty 50-milliliter bottles of the same brand. Police also recovered a receipt showing the alcohol had been purchased at a Fine Wine & Good Spirits earlier that morning.
Authorities said Weber consented to a blood test. Results from NMS Labs showed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.331. Testing also detected Delta-9 Carboxy THC at a level of 6.6.
Drunk Driving Incident Endangers Dozens of Children
Investigators determined that 54 children were on the bus during the route, including five under age 6. Authorities said several children contacted their parents during the ride, saying they were frightened by the driver’s behavior. One child got off the bus early and was picked up by parents.
“More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated,” Steele said in a statement.
Officials said Weber checked herself into a rehabilitation facility shortly after the incident. Police said arrangements are being made for her to surrender to authorities, after which she will be arraigned on the drunk driving and endangerment charges, and bail will be set.
A longtime school bus driver received a heartwarming surprise from Star City School District in Arkansas when the transportation building was named after him.
Eighty-seven-year-old Brames Jackson has dedicated most of his life to serving his community in southeast Arkansas for decades. STN discovered a family connection when reaching out to Star City Transportation Director Kenneth Jackson. Brames is Kenneth’s uncle, and their story reveals a family legacy of outstanding student transportation service.
Brames Jackson became a school bus driver for Star City School District in 1964
Brames Jackson became a school bus driver in 1964. He was on the district’s custodial staff, when he was asked to cover a route for a driver that was involved in a school bus crash. He shared that he continued to drive that bus for three months unpaid, simply to make sure that the students on the route got to school. The oversight was corrected, and he was officially put on the transportation payroll.
“When I got on that bus, I asked the Lord to take care of me and the children. And He did that. I didn’t want any child to get hurt and, I didn’t want to hurt any child,” said Brames.
He shared his entire 61-year-long career as a driver is accident free. The only maintenance he said he had was when he got a flat tire while on a route. He also shared that his route was often hard to navigate with lots of mud and rural roads. He proudly shared that he never got stuck, even during extreme weather conditions.
He relayed a story of waking up one day to snow but reported to work and drove his bus to the first stop on his route. The student informed him that she had just been told that school was cancelled due to the snow. For Brames, his focus was always dedication to the students, even in bad weather.
His nephew Kenneth Jackson said that his uncle has always been a source of inspiration to him. Kenneth began driving a school bus in 2009 and was made the transportation director in 2022, leading a fleet of 16 route buses and 22 drivers. Brames shared the advice he gave to Kenneth when he started in his new leadership role which was to focus on doing his job well and to connect with students and district staff. Those relationships with teachers, superintendents and other district leadership, the drivers and especially with the students are what create a lasting and positive impact.
A key mindset Kenneth said he shares with his uncle is the unwavering dedication to student safety, as students on the bus are “precious cargo.” As Brames said he sees the students as “pure gold” to their families and parents and that as student transporters, it’s crucial to see the students in the same way.
Both uncle and nephew said that they treat the students as if they were their own. Brames shared that he often sees adults who rode his school bus as young children and is happy to see them doing well in their lives. While he says he rode the school bus as a child and didn’t give his driver any trouble, he often encountered students having difficult behaviors. He stated that his goal was for students to not get taken off the route but rather address the behavior and keep them on the bus.
One day, Brames discovered a student smoking on board the bus. He told the student he would have to write him up, to which the student responded with a threat. Brames still took the boy to the office, despite the fact that he was armed with a knife.
Many years later, the former student approached Brames and hugged him. “’You made a man out of me. You don’t know how much I love you,’” Brames recalled the man told him. The boy had to go before the school board before he could ride the school bus again, but that moment was a turning point in his life. He later went to college, married a teacher and is successful in his work in the trucking industry.
“I felt like I helped that young man and I felt good over that,” said Brames.
The Arkansas Association of Pupil Transportation honored Brames as the 2025 School Bus Driver of the Year in June.
(From left to right) Kenneth Jackson, transportation director of Star City Public Schools, school bus driver Brames Jackson, Brames’ daughter Tracie Lee and Arkansas Association of Pupil Transportation president (at the time) Maurice Henry.
When Kenneth Jackson learned his uncle was retiring, he went to Superintendent Jordan Frizzell to ask if the school district would rename the transportation building after him. Kenneth said Frizzell enthusiastically accepted the idea and the district shared on its Facebook page last month that the Star City Board of Education officially named the transportation facility as the “Brames Jackson Transportation Building.”
“His commitment, integrity and care have made a lasting impact on generations of students and families,” said the post. “We are deeply thankful for his unwavering professionalism and the encouragement he offered to countless children through the years.”
When asked about his reaction to the news, Brames tearfully said, “I thank God. My nephew, the superintendent, I thank God for the school and the staff.”
Brames Jackson in front of the newly named transportation building at Star City Public Schools (Photo courtesy of Star City Schools Facebook)Brames Jackson with Star City Public Schools Superintendent Jordan Frizzell (Photo courtesy of Facebook/Star City School District)
Both true family men, Kenneth said that his uncle is well known for throwing the best family cookouts for the 4th of July. Brames, Kenneth continued, is a humble man who doesn’t like to draw attention to his achievements, including the adoption of multiple children over the course of his life.
Kenneth also stated that Brames is remaining active in his retirement as a full-time minister of a local church and president of the local usher board. He said that growing up with his uncle, he fondly remembers Brames’ favorite saying is “By the help of the good Lord.”
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