School Ignored Warnings About Cheap Transportation Company Before Student Killed In Crash, Lawsuit Alleges

An Illinois school district allegedly ignored warnings about a lower-priced transportation company’s dangerous driving practices and continued paying the company hundreds of thousands of dollars before a fiery crash killed one student and severely burned another, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Belleville Township High School District 201 paid MVP Transportation more than $376,000 after receiving complaints that one of its drivers allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel and nearly struck other vehicles, according to the lawsuit. The complaint alleges district officials favored the company’s low rates despite failing to conduct basic safety reviews, verify driver qualifications or execute a written contract.

The district paid MVP a total of $385,655.80 between February 2022 and September, according to the complaint. Of that amount, $376,855.80 — more than 97% — was paid through checks dated after Sept. 13, 2022, when a district official received a report alleging that an MVP driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel, swerved into traffic and nearly struck other vehicles.

The lawsuit alleges the district never solicited competitive bids, conducted a formal safety evaluation or executed a written contract with MVP, a non-emergency medical transportation company.

An Aug. 16, 2022, email from district employee Rhonda Woodfin to director of Alternative Education Andrea Gannon carried the subject line, “I am getting a lot of complaints about MVP,” according to an email included as an exhibit in the complaint.

Less than a month later, Gannon received another message describing an MVP driver allegedly falling asleep while driving, braking suddenly and nearly striking other vehicles. The report also described what the sender believed were beer cans in the driver’s cup holders.

Gannon responded to the September message, “Thank you,” according to the email included in the court filing.

Despite those complaints, the district continued using MVP to transport students, with its board of education repeatedly approving bill lists containing payments to the company through unanimous votes, according to the lawsuit.

Internal emails cited in the complaint also show district officials discussing the company’s low transportation rates when arranging services in February 2022.