| Loudon officer says he told school officials of DUI
bus driver's overdoses LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A Loudon County School Board member says he told school officials about prior problems of a bus driver that was later charged with driving under the influence with a bus load of children. The question tonight, what if anything did school officials do about Vicki Lynn Kwasny's problems? And could they have prevented her from getting behind the wheel? A police officer who serves as a board member says he told school officials about previous overdose calls at Kwansy's house weeks earlier. Since one day after she was charged, we found 911 records that showed she had a total of four since March. So was it a problem with policy or did someone drop the ball? The day after Vickie Lynn Kwansy was charged with driving a school bus under the influence, 911 records show this was the fourth overdose call to her Loudon home since March. And the school's superintendent and his assistant were told of the previous instances weeks earlier by a board member who also serves as a police officer. "I knew that she drove a bus and so that's why I voiced my concern to Gil Luttrell and Mr. Honeycutt," says board member Scott Newman. So could something have been done? School officials have previously said they followed policy. Now, the policy is in question. "We're in the process of reviewing our policies concerning this in the near future," says board member Craig Simon. But one parent questions why something couldn't have been done because she feels it wasn't just the officer who knew. Shena Morales says, "People knew. Parents knew. Coworkers knew." Shena Morales feels a lot more comfortable with her new bus driver but says even she had questions about Kwansy when she talked to her. "She couldn't remember what we were talking about. I mean, we went round and round over a conversation that made no sense," says Morales. And to find out later that it was prescription drugs, Morales says, "Those kids shouldn't have been in this situation ever. It shouldn't have happened." Policy problems or not, even Newman feels legal authority to take action was there. "I think we could have took her off that bus and been fine. We wouldn't have had any legal ramifications from her," says Newman. Assistant school superintendent Gil Luttrell referred us to the school attorney Chuck Cagle who has not returned our phone call. Meanwhile, Kwasny is due in court November 19th to face her D.U.I. charge. |
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10/23/08