MPS School bus driver falsely accused of driving impaired by student
By Rheya Spigner
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — A Milwaukee school bus driver was falsely accused of driving impaired by a student.
Joel Sills, a Milwaukee school bus driver for Golda Meir School, was falsely accused of driving impaired by a student, prompting a police investigation and a breathalyzer test, which he passed.
Sills, who has been on his route for two months, said, “I say good morning and good afternoon, that’s about it,” as he described his routine of driving teenagers to and from school.
On Wednesday morning, Sills received a call from his dispatcher instructing him to pull over immediately, and he was escorted off the bus.
“They were like, laughing. And I heard, like in the back and on the side, like, he’s going to get fired or something,” Sills said, recounting the students’ reactions.
Sills explained that someone on the bus accused him of driving impaired, saying, “I was hitting medians and driving erratically, and I wasn’t at all.”
“I don’t drink,” Sills said.
He was then advised to take a breathalyzer test, which came back clear.
“The whole hope for me was to lose my job, so I feel like that was like a threat, and I have three children that I work hard for, and I shouldn’t have to go through this,” Sills said.
Safeway Transportation Services, which employs Sills, confirmed the incident.
“It was definitely a false accusation,” a manager said.
In a letter to parents, Golda Meir Principal Michelle Carter noted, “No other students expressed the same concern” about Sills being impaired and added, “The company tested the driver and determined the driver was not impaired. As a result, we expect the driver to return to work.”
“Well, I feel this is not the first time that I’ve been lied on. I feel that, like, bus drivers need to get more, like, appreciation for what they do because there’s a lot of like drivers that call in falsely and say things that are not true all the time,” Sills said.
Although there are no consequences for the teenager who made the call, Sills mentioned there is footage showing him driving perfectly fine. He noted that his route has changed to a shorter one, which could mean less pay, but he is happy to still have his job.
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