In Arkansas, bus drivers are prohibited from using cell phones while driving. A bus driver is allowed, however, to use a cell phone if the school bus is off the road safely and the parking brake is engaged. When our children are in the care of school personnel, it is reasonable to expect that he or she would be practicing safe driving habits.
According to recent news reports, an investigation was launched regarding a video produced by a student showing a Lake Hamilton school bus driver texting while behind the wheel driving. I read that the superintendent said that the situation was being dealt with as a confidential personnel matter and he would not disclose whether the driver was going to be disciplined for her act of poor judgment.
There are reports in other states of bus drivers texting while driving. In Connecticut, a school bus driver was caught texting while driving. The ensuing investigation revealed that the driver sent and received 1,068 text messages while she was operating her school bus in a one-month period. A Florida student used her cell phone to capture video of the school bus driver texting while driving. At the end of the student’s video, it shows the driver making a sudden move to grab the steering wheel as the bus appeared to drift into another lane of travel.