Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506080054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
At its meeting Tuesday night, the county School Board unanimously agreed that Wilson, who also was charged with possessing alcohol on school grounds and possessing alcohol on a school bus, should not be allowed to transport children to and from school.
The charges followed an accident June 1 in front of Blacksburg Middle School, in which Wilson's bus rear-ended another bus that was stopped in traffic. Both buses were carrying about 30 middle and high school students, but no one was hurt.
The school system put Wilson on automatic suspension the day of the accident, and that is when her termination took effect.
School Board Chairman Roy Vickers said Wednesday that it did not take long to reach a consensus on Wilson's case.
"Safety is the No.1 concern, and we have zero tolerance, zero tolerance, for mixing bus drivers and alcohol," he said.
Judi Yon, a county bus driver and co-worker of Wilson's, said drivers are still in shock over last week's incident.
"She was just somebody that you saw every day," Yon said of Wilson. "She was a very kind, nice person."
However, Yon, like others who worked with her, said she didn't know Wilson personally.
"When this first happened, I had such mixed emotions," she said. "At first it was anger, then I was scared. There must have been something that pushed her over the edge. It's really a sad situation."
Wilson's arraignment was postponed this week until June 22.
by CNB