Nearly two years after a fatal crash was attributed to the school bus driver texting while behind the wheel, Knox County Schools in Tennessee fired another school bus driver after video caught him using a “portable electronic device,” reports the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The paper said that Thomas Loftis, 50, is an eight-year veteran driver for the district. He was allegedly driving students with disabilities on Aug. 24 when a bus attendant noticed he was using a device while driving. The News Sentinel said the attendant notified school authorities, who in turn launched an investigation.
Tennessee state law prohibits school bus drivers from using cellphones or other electronic devices while transporting students or stopping to load or unload them. The law was strengthened just this past April.
The school district fired another driver in August 2015 for also using a portable electronic device behind the wheel.
Two students and an adult were killed in December 2014 in a school bus crash caused by the driver who was texting a convicted prostitute about drugs.
