Video Shows School Bus Driver Drinking Beer On Route: Aurora PD

AURORA, IL — An Aurora school bus driver has been terminated after she was accused of buying and drinking alcohol on the job. Police said 44-year-old Michelle Passley had 32 elementary school students on her bus when she drank two beers while driving her morning route.

According to police, Passley worked for First Student Bus Co., which is contracted by East Aurora School District 131. Passley was fired after a gas station clerk called to report her beer purchase to school authorities, officials said.

The clerk told police that Passley bought the beers around 6 a.m. Nov. 15 at the Speedway in the 900 block of Farnsworth Road before getting back onto her bus. Surveillance footage then shows the driver appearing to drink from two cans of beer as she completes her route and students get on and off the bus.

"It evokes a very strong reaction," Aurora Police Department Chief Kristen Ziman said in a press conference Tuesday, calling the allegations "infuriating."

The driver was terminated immediately and charged with two counts of endangering the health and life of a child.

Passley was released on $100 bond after her arrest. She is set to appear in court on Dec. 27.