ILLINOIS NEEDS LEGISLATION FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS OF SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS By JERRY COSENTINO, Illinois State Treasurer

Prospective school bus drivers in Illinois would be required to be fingerprinted before they could be employed to drive school children under legislation I have proposed this spring.

My measure would give school districts the data necessary to conduct extensive background checks on prospective school bus drivers. Without fingerprinting, an applicant with a criminal background is able to gain employment through the use of an alias.

The measure will be sponsored in the House by Representatives Lee Preston and John Cullerton and in the Senate by Senators John Daley and Art Berman.

Also included in the measure is a provision for random drug and alcohol testing for the some 26,000 bus drivers who carry permits to transport students. A new Illinois law mandates drug and alcohol testing when a driver applies for a permit but does not include periodic testing thereafter.

The legislation was filed in response to the indictments last November of 16 Cook County school bus drivers who have been charged with illegal activities while driving children to and from school. The indictments allege some drivers left their buses, occupied by school children, in order to conduct drug transactions.

The legislation would require the Illinois State Police to fingerprint all school bus driver applicants and check their prints for prior felony convictions.

There is no more precious cargo than our school children. We must do all we can to protect them while they are transported to and from our own care. This legislation gives school districts the ability to conduct extensive investigations before hiring or allowing a bus company to hire a driver to transport children.

Current Illinois law prohibits convicted felons from driving school buses. However, school districts cannot accurately determine a person's possible criminal record without comparing fingerprints.

Existing law will help identify drug users but does not zero in on those drivers who may be selling drugs.

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools estimates there are 1.8 million elementary and secondary school children in Illinois, half of whom ride school transportation vehicles daily. It is incumbent upon us to do whatever it takes to protect our children from would-be criminal elements. •

June 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5