3 are chastised for actions after crash

Several dozen pupils were on the buses when they crashed.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Two city school bus drivers and their supervisor have received letters of reprimand regarding their handling of a May 7 bus accident in Akron during a school field trip.
The letters say the accident should have been handled differently, Superintendent David Brobeck said Tuesday.
The drivers and their supervisor erred in not immediately notifying police of the accident and by leaving the scene of the crash, Brobeck said. Instead, they continued on with the field trip, which entailed taking about 70 Salem fourth-graders to see a ball game.
No injuries
None of the children on board the two buses was seriously injured, but several were shook up. Total damage to both buses was estimated at between $5,400 and $7,800.
The accident occurred when bus driver Susan Ritchey slowed or stopped suddenly to avoid hitting a vehicle in front of her.
The school bus behind Ritchey's, driven by Kelly Waters, then struck the back of the lead bus, Brobeck said.
The drivers checked with their supervisor, Pamela Thomas, after the accident and then left the scene without contacting police.
Later in the day, after the buses had returned and other school officials learned what occurred, the drivers were instructed to go back to Akron and report the crash to police.
Neither driver was cited because the accident was reported the same day it occurred, Brobeck has said. But the episode prompted concern from school board members and a school investigation, which led to the letters of reprimand to Ritchey, Waters and Thomas, Brobeck explained.
Aside from the field trip crash, both drivers have good driving records and were not suspended pending the investigation, he added.
Criticism
School officials have been criticized for failing to immediately notify parents of the children involved.
The failure prompted one parent to complain to the school board, saying she didn't learn of the crash until her daughter came home from the field trip and related what happened.
Brobeck has said parents should have been told by the school as soon as possible after the accident.
leigh@vindy.com