A First Student school bus driver is no longer behind the wheel after having alcohol in his system while on the job. The company fired the employee Tuesday afternoon.
The driver, who's name is not being release yet, had a blood alcohol level just below 0.02 percent. Both First Student and officials with the D.C. Everest School District say they go by a zero drop policy.
On June 4, the driver was ready to take students from Evergreen Elementary in Kronenwetter on a field trip, when a teacher said she smelled alcohol on him. The principal immediately removed him from the bus before any students were transported and he was suspended after the positive breath test.
"I think we did our due diligence to keep students safe," Asst. Superintendent Jack Stoskopf said. "And I think the company responded as well by honoring their contract to our request."
The district has a clause in its contract that states if for any reason the school district feels a driver isn't good for students, it can request that driver no longer carry its students.
A spokesperson for First Student says the incident is unacceptable and that the safety of passengers is their top priority.
The driver had been with the company for five years and had a clean driving record and no prior reports of misconduct.
