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School bus driver involved in crash that killed 5-year-old had expired certification
The school bus driver, who fatally struck a young boy in Hyde Park in April, resigned earlier this week.
Weeks after 5-year-old Lens Joseph was struck and killed by a school bus in Hyde Park, details are emerging about the driver who was involved.
The driver, Jean Charles, resigned on Wednesday. Officials confirmed that Charles had an expired school bus certificate at the time of the crash.
Joseph was struck after he got off the bus on his way home from school around 2:45 p.m. on April 28, according to the Boston Police Department. He was a student at UP Academy in Dorchester. The accident took place near 107 Washington St.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $46,000 for his family. Joseph’s family remembers him as a boy with “so many big dreams for himself and an imagination beyond his years.”
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Transdev, the district’s transportation contractor, immediately placed Charles on leave after the crash, according to a Boston Public Schools spokesperson.
“The death of a child is a horrible tragedy that no family should have to endure,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Over the past two weeks, BPS Transportation has gathered information on the events of April 28 and begun implementing an ongoing after action review and response.”
Charles had been employed by Transdev since May 2023. Under the contract between BPS and Transdev, the company is responsible for ensuring all its drivers have the required licensing, training, and certifications. School bus drivers in the state need a CDL drivers license, a passenger endorsement, and a school bus certificate in order to comply with the law.
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After the accidents, Transdev informed BPS officials that Charles had an expired school bus certificate. Charles had been notified by Transdev that he needed to renew the certificate, and he had the necessary qualifications in order to do so, according to BPS officials.
Transdev is responsible for performing license certification processes for its employees, and BPS does not independently duplicate these checks. Transdev removes drivers from service who do not meet licensure requirements. The district itself does not hire or employ drivers directly, and is therefore not routinely notified when specific drivers are removed from service, according to BPS officials.
The bus that hit Joseph also struck two parked cars in Mattapan just prior to the fatal accident, The Boston Globe reported. The driver tried to leave the scene after striking Joseph, according to recordings of police radio calls reviewed by the Globe, but was blocked by another vehicle.
After Charles was placed on leave, a due process hearing was scheduled for May 14. He resigned, effective immediately, just before that hearing was set to begin, according to the district.
Transdev, in accordance with state law, conducts criminal background checks on all school bus drivers it hires. The company conducted its own investigation of Charles, which BPS officials say led to his resignation.
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BPS and Transdev are adding more safety personnel to daily leadership meetings. Transdev is also bringing additional safety staff to Boston and is accelerating safety refresher trainings for drivers on pickup, drop off, and accident protocols, according to officials.
As BPS and Trandev continue to look into the accident and Charles, the two entities are also in contact with law enforcement officials.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office and BPD are conducting an ongoing investigation. A BPD spokesperson did not return a request for information Friday. A Suffolk DA spokesperson declined to provide any updates.
“The City and BPS have also been working in the aftermath of this tragic incident to support the family of Lens Joseph and the UP Academy Dorchester school community, and to share accurate information with the public as quickly and thoughtfully as possible,” the BPS spokesperson said. “This is an ongoing process and will be further informed by any investigative conclusions released by the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office and the Boston Police Department. We mourn the death of Lens Joseph and grieve with his family at this terrible time.”
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