FBISD Bus Driver Suspended Again, Richardson Claims Continued Retaliation

Just days seeing his Level III grievance against Fort Bend ISD Transportation Supervisor Richard Torres denied, bus driver Jack Richardson has again been handed a three-day suspension for alleged violations of safety standards.

Richardson, the bus driver assaulted by former transportation supervisor Dann Long last year, was given his second three-day suspension since pressing charges against Long in Judge Joel Clouser’s justice of the peace court.

Richardson maintains the suspensions are nothing more than retaliation by Torres in an effort to get rid of him.

Richardson’s grievance was over the first suspension which he characterized as retribution on the part of Torres for “not looking the other way” when Long assaulted him.

Prior to the assault charge, Richardson had an unblemished record as a bus driver. That, he said, shows the suspensions are nothing more than retaliation against him for pursuing the case against Long.

Long earned the nickname “bus barn bully” by drivers and other transportation employees for what they described as frequent violent outbursts and aggressive behavior.

In the case involving Richardson, Long was charged with “assault by contact” in Clouser’s court last August. On Dec. 3, Long appeared before Clouser and agreed to a plea deal that placed him on deferred adjudication, a form of probation. The probation ended Feb. 25.

Long was also ordered to pay a fine.

Long left the district in February, only days before that probationary period was to expire.  Details about Long’s abrupt departure were not released.

Since he refused to drop the charges against Long, Richardson said, Torres has engaged in a campaign of retaliation in an attempt to force Richardson to resign or get him fired.

In the latest suspension, Richardson was accused by an unnamed transportation employee of allowing students to “stand, walk and jump between the seats of the bus” while the bus was in motion. Richardson was also accused of allowing students to vandalize the bus.

“Mr. Richardson continues to interfere with student safety by disregarding critical departmental rules and guidelines by operating and driving a school bus while students are walking and moving around a moving school bus. This perilous activity is not only a violation of departmental guidelines, but it is a violation of Texas state law,” the suspension memorandum reads.

The memo also insinuates Richardson attempted to vandalize a recording device installed on the bus.

“It is also noted that upon returning the recording device to Mr. Richardson (sic) bus, the housing unit that stores the DVR was completely soaked in water,” the memo noted. “I will evaluate this device to ensure that it is operable; there is a potential loss of approximately $2,000 if the unit is inoperable.”

The memo does not directly accuse Richardson of soaking the recording device with water and does not make clear why the information was included in the suspension document if it was not part of the disciplinary case against Richardson.

Richardson signed the memo under protest.

Next to his signature Richardson wrote, “Under protest I sign this form. The comments are untrue and meant to continue the harassment since Dann Long assaulted me at the beginning of school.”

In an interview with FortBendNow, Richardson echoed those comments.

“Anyone can see this is nothing more than retaliation. They’re trying to get rid of me because I pursued the criminal charges against Dann Long,” Richardson said. “Before that, I had an unblemished record. Now, (transportation administrators) are trying to paint me as a bad driver. They’ve branded me as a trouble-maker and want me gone.”

He said he will continue his first grievance to a Level IV hearing and will file a new grievance over the current suspension. He also said he would go to court to protect his reputation, if necessary.

School district officials have repeatedly refused to comment on Richardson’s allegations of retaliation, saying they are “personnel matters.”

School board members have a policy of speaking only through Board President Sonal Bhuchar; Bhuchar has not responded to repeated inquiries from FortBendNow.

Numerous transportation employees, however, have come forward to support Richardson’s claims. Their names are withheld because they fear retaliation if their identities are known to district administrators.

One driver said Torres was trying to “demonize” Richardson in an attempt to get rid of him. District administrators and school trustees, he said, continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the transportation department.

“They’re all fixated to test scores. Everybody gets fat bonuses on how well students do on the tests, and all we do are drive buses,” the driver said. “As long as the kids get picked up and delivered, the administration and the school board aren’t concerned with what goes on out here.”

Another distinct employee said he was shocked to see Richardson being escorted off district property by a Fort Bend ISD police officer.

“He was escorted by a police officer, Torres and his secretary in full view of everybody. When we had an employee who was found using drugs, the police weren’t called,” the source said. “Torres is just trying to make Jack look bad.”

Another employee said a number of drivers have grievances against Torres, but they’re reluctant to file them.

“They see what he’s doing to Jack after Jack filed charges against his boy, Dann Long,” the employee said. “They figure if they file their grievance, they’ll be (Torres’) next target. And they damn well know they won’t get any support from the administration or from the school board.”

The employee also said he hopes the upcoming election brings some new thinking to the school board.

“This bunch (of trustees) is out of touch. Whatever Jenney tells them, they believe; nobody has the (will) to question him,” the employee said. “Maybe we’ll get some board members that remember they work for the people, not for the superintendent. Maybe they’ll have a little bit of compassion for us little guys.”