Former Mason Schools bus driver charged with endangering children

A former Mason City Schools bus driver has been charged with child endangerment following an incident in May, the district said Tuesday. The incident occurred on May 30, when the bus driver was allegedly intoxicated, the district said. On Tuesday, Mason police identified the suspect as 44-year-old James Vance. He was charged with 46 counts of child endangerment in Warren County Juvenile Court. According to the district, a fellow transportation officer reported that the driver smelled of alcohol and reported it immediately. Vance was removed from his route, although the district said 31 students were driven to school before he was removed from duty. Vance has been placed on leave and no longer works for Mason Schools. On Tuesday, police charged the former driver with child endangerment. “We are deeply disturbed by the actions of this former driver, which are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values ​​of Mason City Schools. The safety and well-being of each and every student in our care is our top priority. “We are grateful to the men and women who transport our students safely to and from school each day, and we are committed to enhancing our safety protocols to ensure all of our drivers meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility,” said Jonathan Cooper, superintendent of Mason City Schools. The school said all families of the 31 children who were on board the bus have been notified of the incident. “Our drivers are currently undergoing random drug and alcohol testing, and we are reviewing and strengthening our safety protocols in light of this incident, including additional screening and safeguards for personnel responsible for transporting students to prevent incidents like this in the future,” a Mason School spokesperson said. Vance is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 10 at 1:30 p.m.