School Bus Driver Accused of Playing Pokemon Go Behind the Wheel
Students claim the Tennessee driver played the game while driving, and she is placed on leave. Bus video reportedly shows no evidence of that, but it does show her letting a parent board the bus.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A school bus driver here was placed on leave on Wednesday following accusations that she was playing the game Pokemon Go while driving students, WTVF reports.
The move came after several parents complained and accusations were made online on Tuesday after the incident occurred that morning, according to the news source. Students took video with their phones, and some are heard talking about the popular game. The video also shows the driver stopping at a bridge that was too low for a bus to pass. Several children told their parents that the driver was playing Pokemon Go and often made unscheduled stops to catch the creatures on her phone, WTVF reports.
Students texted their parents, and some parents tracked the bus. Video shows the driver letting a mother, who was concerned about her daughter, board the bus and remove her, according to the news source.
Joe Bass, the external communications manager at Metro Nashville Public Schools, told WTVF that although using a phone while driving is “grounds for immediate termination,” the district’s staff reviewed the bus video from the day that the incident occurred and “saw zero evidence of her playing a game or using her cell phone behind the wheel." The bus driver may face discipline and more training for letting the parent board the bus, according to the news source. Meanwhile, if no other wrongdoing is found in the investigation, the driver will return to work, but will be assigned to a different bus route.
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