School bus driver caught on video drinking beer on morning route, Illinois cops say

A school bus driver in Illinois drank beers during a morning route with dozens of children on board, Illinois police say.

It was all caught on video, according to the Aurora Police Department.

Surveillance video shows the driver buying beer at a convenience store between her morning routes Friday, according to a news release. Then she returned to her bus and started another route, police said. .

Meanwhile, the store clerk called East Aurora School District 131 to report what had just happened.

Video from the school bus shows the driver drinking from two beers concealed in brown paper bags, police said. There were 32 elementary school students on the bus while the driver was drinking, police said.

The bus driver was an employee of First Student, which was contracted by the school district. The bus company fired the employee and contacted the police department. The school district also contacted police as well as the Department of Child and Family Services.

“The Aurora Police Department is grateful for the initial concerned call to the district from the store’s clerk and the quick actions by East Aurora District 131 administrators and the First Student Bus Company for reporting the incident, so an investigation could be initiated,” police wrote in a statement.

Michelle Passley, 44, was charged with misdemeanor offenses of endangering the life or health of a child. She was released Monday night on $100 bond, police said.