The Cheyenne school district is implementing a new round of mandatory drug and alcohol awareness training after one of its bus drivers was arrested last week for driving under the influence while transporting students out-of-state.
Laramie County School District No. 1 spokeswoman Mary Quast told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that the training would be put in place within the next couple of weeks.
“In response to last week’s incident, the Transportation Department is instituting new mandatory drug and alcohol awareness training within the next couple of weeks,” she said. “In about a month, the Transportation Department is introducing an annual recertification class for drug and alcohol awareness that all existing drivers will be required to take.”
The annual recertification class will become part of the training that existing bus drivers are required to take every August during their three-day in-service training prior to the start of the school year.
Quast did note that in order to obtain a commercial drivers license and serve as an LCSD1 bus driver, drivers must go through at least six weeks of training of a variety of subjects, including drug and alcohol awareness. This is required for drivers to obtain their CDL.
David Richard Williams, 60, was arrested by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper last week for driving under the influence and possession of open container while operating a moving vehicle while transporting students to a speech and debate tournament in Spearfish, South Dakota.
He was stopped, failed a field sobriety test and was then arrested.
Quast said that the morning after the arrest, LCSD1 transportation Administrator Adam Greenwood met with all the district bus drivers in person to re-emphasize the importance of student safety.
LCSD1 officials have not commented specifically about the arrest, citing personnel reasons.
“At Laramie County School District 1 student safety is our priority,” Superintendent Margaret Crespo said last week. “In every instance, while we have students in our care and a situation occurs, we will act first to ensure our kids remain safe. After this occurs, we switch to communication mode.”
