Charged With A Crime While Driving A School Bus?

Driving a school bus is not for the faint of heart. Yes, the pay is decent, and the work schedule leaves you enough time to work a second job, but transporting a bus full of children is no one’s idea of a good time. Driving a school bus carries hazards beyond ordinary driving. Seatbelt rules are more relaxed for school buses than they are for other passenger vehicles, and school buses do not have air conditioning to contend with the Florida heat. Despite this, the law holds school bus drivers to a high standard of behavior, since they are responsible for the safety of the children they transport. Here, our Miami criminal defense lawyer explains recent cases involving the arrest of school bus drivers in Florida.

Okaloosa County School Bus Driver Charged With DUI After Fender Bender

Car accidents where no one gets injured are more of an annoyance than a disaster if you are driving your personal vehicle, but if it is your job to drive, and you are driving a vehicle assigned to you by your employer, then even a minor driving mistake counts as not doing your job properly. A property damage only accident while your blood alcohol content (BAC) is higher than zero but lower than the legal DUI threshold of 0.08 percent is usually grounds for getting fired from your job, but not for getting criminal charges. Everything is different when you are a school bus driver, though, and when children are on the bus at the time of the accident.

Just after 1:00 one afternoon, toward the beginning of summer vacation in 2026, a school bus driver was driving a bus with six students on board. At an intersection on State Road 85 in Okaloosa County, the bus driver backed the bus into another vehicle. No one was injured, but when police responded, they noticed that the driver showed signs of impairment. A breath test showed that her BAC was 0.04 percent. She is facing charges for six counts of child neglect without bodily harm.

Indian River County School Bus Driver Charged With Child Abuse After Losing Her Temper With Unruly Student

The school year started off on the wrong foot for a school bus driver in Indian River County. In the last week of August, while the bus driver was waiting outside a school with a bus full of students, until another bus arrived to transport the children to an after-school program, a student was taunting the bus driver by sticking up his middle finger and making an obscene gesture. The driver told the boy to stop multiple times, but he always started misbehaving again. Security camera footage shows the bus driver grabbing the boy’s hand and bending his finger back; he did not sustain serious injuries.

After receiving a complaint and viewing the camera footage, police obtained a warrant for her arrest. On September 10, they arrested her at her house and booked her into jail. Her bond amount was $5,000.

Former Bus Driver Arrested in Florida on Allegations of Misconduct Toward Student

When someone is accused of a crime, but police cannot find the defendant in the state where the alleged crime occurred, they can alert law enforcement in other jurisdictions to look for the defendant and issue an arrest warrant. When police in another state arrest the defendant there, they can send the defendant to the state where the alleged crime took place; this is called extradition. Some extradition cases even involve multiple countries.

In November 2024, a school bus driver in North Carolina quit his job after he became aware of allegations that he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student. He moved out of the state soon after, as the investigation continued. In July 2025, law enforcement issued a warrant for his arrest. Because of the warrant, his name was placed on a nationwide “do not travel” list, unbeknownst to him. When he bought tickets for a cruise in Florida, police received an alert that he was scheduled to travel, and they arrested him at the port as he attempted to board the ship in August 2026. As of September 2026, he is in Florida, awaiting extradition to North Carolina, where the criminal case against him can proceed.

Contact Our Criminal Defense Attorneys

A South Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing charges for mishaps that occurred while you were driving a school bus.  Contact Ratzan & Faccidomo in Miami, Florida for a confidential consultation about your case.

Sources:

wbtv.com/2026/09/03/former-rowan-county-bus-driver-wanted-student-relationship-case-arrested-boarding-cruise-ship/

stnonline.com/wire-reports/florida-school-bus-driver-charged-with-dui-child-neglect-after-crash/

msn.com/en-us/news/other/florida-school-bus-driver-arrested-and-charged-with-child-abuse/ar-AA2c3gWn?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=6aa5ef4c246c497f8d4f04b0e6ac457b&ei=13