O'Neill: Bus Driver Fired, Student Expelled After Recent Bus Incident

West Orange Interim Superintendent James O'Neill responded to a recent incident where two West Orange High School students assaulted and robbed a bus driver while dropping students off from the West Orange High School last week. 

According to O'Neill, the bus driver acted inappropriately and has been fired. One of the students involved is expelled from West Orange High and the other has been assigned to the after school program. 

The late bus route brings students home from sports or those with disciplinary issues, he added. 

His full response sent by email to Patch is as follows:

On September 18th there was an incident which involved one of the buses we contract to transport roughly 7,000 students.  There was an incident that involved a  bus driver and 2 students.   This bus was one of the late runs from the high school transporting students who were at school late for sports or disciplinary reasons.  The paper reported an altercation.  That is not accurate.  There was a student who took the driver’s head phones and shortly after a student who took the driver’s cell phone.  The camera on the bus allowed us to identify the students and notify the police.   One student is no longer enrolled in the West Orange Schools and one student has been assigned to the after school  program.  Both students have been reported to the police.  We take all disciplinary issues seriously and address them promptly and appropriately.   The driver acted inappropriately when he left the bus. He has been discharged and no longer transports West Orange students.