A school bus driver working for the Oswego City School District was arrested Tuesday and accused of driving a busload of students while intoxicated.
On Tuesday afternoon, a student on a bus carrying 30 students from the Citi BOCES campus in Mexico back to Oswego High School became concerned about the driver. The student called their parent, who alerted police.
Oswego city police arrested the driver, Bradley Wygant, and charged him with a felony count of aggravated driving while intoxicated. He also faces 30 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and 14 misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Police allege that Wygant was under the influence of several substances, though not alcohol. They’ve sent blood samples for testing to determine which substances are involved.
Oswego Schools Superintendent Ray Kilmer, in messages sent Tuesday and Wednesday to parents and in an email exchange with WRVO Public Media, said that all drivers meet with a supervisor every day before being given the keys to a bus.
Kilmer told WRVO, “The supervisor spoke with the driver and there was no indication of concern when the driver left for the bus run.”
The driver was a substitute – a bus mechanic asked to fill in. In New York State, bus mechanics generally must have their commercial drivers license, which allows them to drive a school bus.
Superintendent Kilmer told WRVO, “We do not have anyone driving for us where we have evidence of conduct that would disqualify them from driving. Any allegation would be thoroughly investigated.”
These are several of the requirements for bus drivers to get and keep their licenses, the list forwarded to us by Superintendent Kilmer:
- Drug, alcohol and substance testing
- Fingerprinting and a search of driving and criminal records
- An annual check of the license and a physical exam
- Unannounced, random drug and alcohol tests several times a year
Privacy rules prevent the district from discussing any aspect of Wygant’s employment, except to say he is now on leave. Oswego Police Captain Bryan Thompson said he was unaware of Wygant having had any prior criminal history.
