On Feb. 4 school bus driver Franck Lafortune was accused of watching a pornographic video on his cell phone.
By Melissa Riker
The Sun
Parents filled Indian Mills Memorial School at this week’s board of education meeting to discuss their concerns on a recent incident regarding a school bus driver.
According to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General, “staff members from the Indian Mills Elementary School were notified that two children informed their parents that they observed their school bus driver, Franck Lafortune, watching a pornographic video on his cell phone prior to exiting the bus at 8:30 a.m. [on Feb. 4].”
Superintendent Christine Vespe began the meeting by explaining the series of events regarding Lafortune.
Vespe said that on Feb. 4 an alleged incident occurred involving a bus driver with Garden State Transportation, and the school district began its initial investigation with GST upon receiving information from a student.
The same day, parents reported the allegations directly to the State Police and an investigation was launched by the State Police resulting in an arrest of the driver. Vespe said the district was notified by GST the arrest was made and the officials indicated the driver was not to return to the district.
Vespe said that initial communication to the school community regarding the incident was sent out via email on Feb. 5.
On Feb. 6, at the direction of the State Police, the press release from the attorney general’s office was released.
On Feb. 11, a more detailed email was sent from the district to the school community that provided a timeline of events and district actions regarding the situation.
“As this is an ongoing case, we are continuing to work closely with the New Jersey State Police and again are limited in our comments,” Vespe said. “The business administrator and I will continue to work to pursue options to provide transportation for our students. As always, the safety and well-being of our students is paramount concern.”
During public comment, many parents expressed their concerns with lack of communication and initial details from administration, along with concerns for their children’s safety.
MaryKathryn O’Brien said her son attends Indian Mills School and was not on the bus where the incident occured. However, she expressed disappointment within the administration for allowing students to ride the bus home on the afternoon of Feb. 4 with the same bus driver, after learning of the alleged event that occurred that morning.
“I know the administration doesn’t have control over the actions of GST, however, you do have control over your own actions,” O’Brien said. “In today’s world, I would have hoped the administration would have erred on the side of caution, and they did not. It’s also alarming that there were no attempts to contact the authorities after being notified that the bus driver was watching inappropriate materials on his cell phone.”
Similarly, parent Mary Brooks expressed concerns for her children’s safety, saying, “Many of us chose Shamong for the small schools, the quaint community that we are and we want to stay here, and I want to keep my kids in the school and keep them safe.”
Brooks also suggested a possible change in transportation services, recommending the board look into a shared services agreement with Lenape Regional.
Parent Donna McClelland focused on trust, accountability, respect for the community and the protection of the children as she spoke to the board.
“The first and foremost priority we have as a parent is the social, emotional and physical safety of our children,” McClelland said. “Effective communication builds and fosters trust. Communication must be specific, transparent and forthcoming. Effective, proactive communication creates a culture of trust between parents and administration.”
She said this incident has challenged and ultimately broken her trust with the school district and parents need to be notified immediately of situations similar to this.
“Trust and communication is a powerful force between parents and educators, between educators and children and between children and parents,” she said.
In other news:
- Business Administrator Laura Archer said she anticipates a total loss of $1,148,940 in state aid to the district over the next seven years.
- The Shamong Schools app is up and running. The app provides users with the ability to access news, events, emergency notifications and more. It can be downloaded by searching “Shamong Schools” on Google Play or in the app store.
The next board of education meeting will be held on March 19 at 7 p.m. at Indian Mills Memorial School.
