Students, teachers and parents from Ben Murch Elementary School in Northwest D.C. got a chance to thank first responders in Fairfax County who showed up after the driver of their charter school bus crashed into a ditch on October 27.
As the kindergartners delighted in a tour of the fire station, parents expressed gratitude for all who helped that day.
The students were coming back from a visit to a pumpkin patch when the driver Troy Reynolds, who was driving drunk, crashed the bus. Reynolds had a blood alcohol content of 0.20. and already had a suspended license in Virginia for a previous DWI. He should not have been on the road, according to police.
He was employed Rome Charters. DC Public Schools, which does not have its own bus fleet, said it would cut ties with the company.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Parents praised the actions of teachers on board, who begged the driver to pull over after the bus veered into a ditch so hard it bent a tire rim.
Teachers comforted their students as first responders checked them for injuries, and applied ice packs to bumped heads.
The incident has led to a call for DC Public Schools to be more transparent about their standards for hiring charter companies.