RAYNHAM, Mass. — A school bus driver will no longer be driving for a school district here after being cited for leaving the scene of an accident in which she reportedly hit two trees on Monday, police said.

The Raynham Police Department received a report at about 3:20 p.m. that a school bus had been involved in a crash, according to a news release from the police department.

Police determined that the bus driver, Franceille Fleurine, struck a tree and then backed into a second tree, smashing the back window of the bus. She then continued driving and finished her route. There were at least 10 middle school students on board at the time. Fleurine dropped off the students at their bus stops and went to Raynham Middle School, where she was met by police. No one was injured in the incident.

Fleurine was running late and was trying to turn around when the crash occurred, police said.
Chief James Donovan said in the news release that police cited Fleurine for leaving the scene of an accident and a marked lanes violation. Fleurine will be issued a summons to appear in Taunton District Court at a later date.

Derek J. Swenson, the superintendent of Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District, told police that Fleurine will no longer be a driver for the school system.

Swenson posted a statement on the school district’s Facebook page that the driver’s actions were “absolutely unacceptable” and that police “took swift and appropriate action in handling the incident.”

Swenson added in the statement that parents and guardians were immediately contacted about the incident, a new bus and bus driver were assigned to drive the elementary school students home, and the district will keep working with safety officials and Lucini Bus Lines to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Ryan Powers, the assistant superintendent for the district, told CBS that the procedure in place for when a crash occurs is that the driver stops and calls the police, and that a school official comes to the scene to be a “familiar face” for the students. On Tuesday, Powers and other school officials met with students that had been on the bus to check on them, according to the news source.

About the author
Nicole Schlosser

Nicole Schlosser

Former Executive Editor

Nicole was an editor and writer for School Bus Fleet. She previously worked as an editor and writer for Metro Magazine, School Bus Fleet's sister publication.

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