Swansea Public Schools and Swansea Police Investigating After Report of Driver Who Urinated on School Bus with Students Aboard

SWANSEA — Superintendent Scott Holcomb and Police Chief Mark Foley report a troubling incident that occurred this morning on a school bus transporting students in town.

Initial investigations by school and police officials indicate that a 71-year-old bus driver urinated inside the bus while students were aboard. The bus driver pulled over on the way to Hoyle Elementary School and told the passengers to move to the back of the bus. The driver then allegedly relieved himself while sitting in the driver’s seat. 

The driver then completed the trip and dropped the students off at the school. Some students reported the unusual behavior to their teachers, and an investigation was launched. Through the investigation, it is currently believed that no students on the bus witnessed the driver’s actions.

There were 12 Pre-K to Grade 2 children on the bus at the time. School officials have notified all parents of those children about the incident.

The driver is an employee of Amaral Bus Company, which provides transportation services to all Swansea Public Schools. Upon learning of the incident, the Superintendent of Schools notified Amaral Transportation that this driver was fired from ever driving for Swansea Public Schools again. Swansea Public Schools will further review its relationship with Amaral and discuss the measures they will take to ensure something like this does not happen again. This includes reviewing Amaral’s hiring practices to ensure they align with the district’s primary goal of keeping all Swansea students safe.

School officials notified the Swansea Police Department, and detectives are actively investigating the circumstances of the incident. As of Monday afternoon, no charges have been filed against the driver.

Additionally, school officials filed a report with the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families, in accordance with state law and our district’s policies and procedures.

This is a matter we take extremely seriously. This type of behavior in the presence of children, especially young children, is unacceptable, and we will continue to look into the incident.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, they can call the Swansea Public Schools administrative office at 508-675-1195.

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