Bus driver suspended for cell phone use, lying about caller

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A bus driver for a school district here has received a 10-day suspension for taking a call on her cell phone while she was driving and also lying about whom she was talking to, The Miami Herald reports.

Several weeks ago, Rossana Lucas quickly answered her phone on the bus, and through the video surveillance system on board, she can be heard telling someone she will call them back. She faced a potential five-day suspension for her actions, but when she told officials for Broward County Public Schools that the call was from her son, a U.S. Marine stationed in Iraq, Superintendent Robert Runcie put her punishment on hold while the situation was investigated.

As the investigation unfolded, district officials learned that the call was not from Lucas’ son. In addition, Lucas is shown in video footage picking up another bus driver at an unauthorized stop, and the two women then discuss a private side business.

When officials determined that Lucas’ story didn’t add up, she was told that her suspension period would be doubled to 10 days, and she had to formally apologize or she would face termination. On Tuesday, Lucas accepted her punishment and apologized, saying, according to The Miami Herald, "I voluntarily agree to the 10-day suspension ... and I know that day, it was not my son. Thank you."

To read the full story, click here.

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