TEMECULA – Officials from Riverside Police Department and Temecula Valley Unified School District have confirmed they are investigating allegations of impropriety leveled against a TVUSD bus driver. The allegations stem from an incident that occurred Saturday, Nov. 19, during a band competition at Ramona High School in the City of Riverside.
After students from Temecula’s Great Oaks High School spirit band and color guard team had completed their performance at the competition, the girls from the school’s color guard were directed to a bus to change out of their costumes.
In spite of established protocol, a male bus driver – who was in the bus when the girls were sent to change out of their uniforms – remained on the bus while the girls were changing.
Dave Vialpando, a parent of one of the students explained what happened next, saying, “When the girls boarded the bus, the bus driver, a white male in his sixties, decided to stay on the bus while the color guard girls changed out of their costumes.”
“Several of the girls felt uncomfortable about the bus driver being present on the bus while they changed and believed he was watching them as they changed clothes.”
“A few of the girls were disturbed to the point that they brought the above sequence of events to the attention of a volunteer mother who was present near the buses. The volunteer spoke with the bus driver and contacted the band director,” Vialpando recalled.
“I became aware of what occurred after the color guard girls began sharing a group text advising each other not to enter the bus alone with the driver and to only enter the bus with a buddy,” Vialpando continued. “My daughter was one of the girls on the bus in question.”
“When I arrived at the bus area, I inquired of the parent volunteers about what had transpired on the bus,” Vialpando stated. “One parent volunteer told me she spoke to the bus driver and took some notes on a clipboard. She then advised the band director what had occurred, and told me that the matter was being handled.”
Riverside police officials were contacted and responded to the school to determine if a crime had been committed. At the time, they determined there was not enough evidence to warrant an arrest and they advised concerned parents that further investigation would be conducted and their finding would be forwarded to the school district and the District Attorney’s office for review.
At the suggestion of police officials, alternative arrangements were made for the girls to be transported back to GOHS in another bus.
In a telephone interview and in a post to social media, TVUSD’s Public Information Officer Laura Boss addressed and responded to many of the concerns raised by parents in the wake of the allegations against the bus driver.
According to Boss, after the students had been returned to GOHS, the school’s band director, Jerry Burdick-Rutz sent a message to parents of the school’s spirit band and color guard students. Burdick-Rutz has been Director of The Spirit of Great Oak Performing Ensembles for the past 12 years. Before joining GOHS he previously served as Director of the Platinum Sound Ensembles at Temecula-Chaparral High School for eight years, from 1997 to 2004.
A special thank you to one of our outstanding Booster Dads with a background in the judicial system who assisted us by responding swiftly, appropriately, and professionally to concerns from some of our Spirit Band & Guard members.
With his assistance we were able to get authorities on the (Riverside Ramona HS) campus (while students were at the awards ceremony). The officer listened to the concerns of some of our students and parent chaperones regarding the Bus Driver of one of our buses.
Police did not immediately determine illegal activity. It was suggested, however, (and we followed through) to remove all of the students from the bus in question and distribute them and their belongings to the remaining three buses to return to Temecula.
Due to the ongoing investigation by the Riverside Police and follow-up by TVUSD transportation and the nature of minors being involved it’s recommended to not discuss in public forums for the sake of protecting our member unless asked by the authorities and/or each students parents permission to do so.
Boss later explained the steps the school district had already taken and explained that the investigation into the reported incident was continuing.
“GOHS administration and TVUSD officials are aware of the incident that was reported on Saturday at Ramona High School during a band competition,” Boss said. “First and foremost, please be assured that this incident is being taken very seriously. It is never OK for our students to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any circumstance.”
“Our goal…is to assure everyone that GOHS administration and district officials are actively involved in getting to the bottom of this reported incident,” Boss stated. “We appreciate the reporting parent’s efforts and support as we move forward with the investigation.”
“All involved parties will be treated fairly through the investigation process,” Boss assured.
Boss explained, “The reported incident involved a male bus driver who remained on one of the buses while female students from the color guard changed from their uniforms into street clothes following their performance. He is a district employee and has been a part of these trips in the past.”
“It is normal for our students to use the buses to change during competitions and other events away from the GOHS campus,” Boss said. “Unfortunately, there are not always locker rooms, bathrooms, or appropriate places for the children to change, so we encourage the students to wear appropriate garments under their uniforms and costumes to cover themselves and provide modesty.”
“Standard protocol dictates that in cases where the students use the buses to change their clothing, the bus driver should remove themselves from the bus,” Boss explained via telephone. “We will be looking into whether those protocols were properly followed.”
“One of the things we will be looking into was whether or not the bus driver was even aware the students were changing their clothes while he was still on the bus,” Boss said.
Responding to claims that the school district had not taken appropriate action after the allegations came to light, Boss explained, “While specific contacts from GOHS administration and district officials may not have been made directly with parents reporting the concerns, they were immediately forwarded through the appropriate channels to individuals responsible for investigating the complaint including TVUSD Human Resources, TVUSD Transportation Department, and GOHS administration, along with the police who investigated the complaint at the scene.”
“While we know this is a concerning incident, there are a number of issues that need to be thoroughly investigated and we hope that the community will allow the appropriate actions to occur,” Boss said.
“Some of the girls involved were interviewed already by Riverside police officials and those interviews will be continuing as time permits,” Boss stated. “Unfortunately, coordinating the investigation takes time and with the Thanksgiving break occurring this week, most of the school and district staff are on break, along with students.”
“District officials and the director of transportation have already conducted an initial discussion with the bus driver in question, to get a better understanding of what happened on Saturday”
“Typically, in situations such as this, the employee in question is placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Consultations need to be conducted with Human Resources and other district officials,” Boss explained. “The bus driver will not likely be pursuing a regular route during the investigation.”
“This incident will undoubtedly prompt a complete and thorough discussion about the future protocol for students who need to change their clothing when locker rooms or bathrooms are not available,” Boss stated.
Boss said counselors will be available on Monday to talk with students involved about any concerns they or their parents have.
Additionally, any parents who have concerns or feel that their involved student(s) need additional support upon their return to school after the Thanksgiving break can contact GOHS administration via Principal Aimee Ricken at aricken@tvusd.k12.ca.us.
Anyone with information regarding this incident and investigation should contact the Riverside Police Department at (951) 351-6099. Callers can refer to incident file number P16-214072.
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