Investigation finds traffic violations cost MCPS almost $150K
A concerning new report finds traffic violations made by Montgomery County Public Schools staff cost the district nearly $150,000.
A new report by the Office of the Inspector General found that in the past seven and a half years more than 1,600 traffic violations were issued to Montgomery County Public School vehicles for things like speeding, running red lights, and passing school buses.
The investigation found school buses racked up the majority of those citations with 62% and an alarming 85% of the school bus stop arm violations were committed by school bus drivers themselves.
"You would assume that the bus drivers would be given training that they have to stop. But with this type of number of citations, I think there's obviously something that needs to be happening," said Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, who is also the chair of the Education & Culture Committee.
SANDY SPRING, MD- JAN 13: Several school buses make their way on Olney Sandy Spring Road after leaving Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Maryland on January 13, 2022. There's been a shortage of school bus drivers (due to Covid-19 issues) in Montg
The report also found that MCPS purchase cards, also known as P-cards, were used to pay for the citations.
Those findings were part of an earlier investigation looking at the abuse of P-cards by transportation employees.
The inspector general says while the payment of traffic citations using the P-card is not prohibited, the lack of policies and procedures for handling violations has led to duplicate payments and failure to collect reimbursements from violators meaning taxpayer dollars are being incorrectly used for traffic citations.
"Obviously when taxpayer dollars are at stake, we need to have a higher standard. And it's something that we need to look into," Jawando said. "There needs to be prompt repayment or an automatic repayment that comes out of a salary check or, you know, some sort of garnishment so that it is reimbursed."
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Now, the OIG says several policies need to change and offered a list of recommendations for MCPS.
Councilmember Jawando hopes to go a step further, asking the school district to also look into possible repeat offenders.
"There should be some analysis done by the system to see, you know, it's one thing if you do it one time, it's another thing if you've done it, you know, dozens of times and so we don't know the answer to those questions, but we should be finding out," Jawando said.
FOX 5 asked MCPS about what disciplinary actions are in place for violators.
MCPS says it has a four-step system that starts with education and ends with issuing penalties.
Read the full response from Montgomery County Public Schools below:
"It is the goal of the DOT to provide the highest level of safety and quality of services at all times. The Just Cause Standards for Bus Attendants and Bus Operators (JCSBABO) has been developed to support the goals of the department and the school system.
Transportation employees are expected to act in a professional and responsible manner at all times. Each employee is responsible for adhering to all motor vehicle safety rules and laws; to follow policies and regulations of the school system; and to exemplify the highest level of personal and professional behavior that parents, students, fellow employees, and the citizens of Montgomery County expect and deserve.
The design of the JCSBABO is intended to afford every employee the opportunity to learn from mistakes and gain a better understanding of expectations and rules/laws governing the operation of school vehicles. Progressive discipline is the basis for the design of the outcomes for infractions. To foster a fair process for managing infractions, the following steps of action are outlined in a progressive disciplinary system:
· Education
· Investigation
· Right to Representation
· Issuing Penalty
Jawando says he plans to bring up these issues next week when he speaks with the school district.
The full report from the Office of the Inspector General can be found here.