Paramus superintendent knew in 2017 of bus driver's suspension record, documents show
The state Department of Education told the Paramus schools superintendent in December that a school bus driver involved in a fatal crash was ineligible to drive, and asked her to acknowledge that the district would comply with that determination, documents show.
The documents appear to contradict an earlier statement by Paramus Superintendent Michele Robinson that she was not aware of anything in Hudy Muldrow Sr.'s record that would have disqualified him from driving a school bus.
Muldrow, the driver charged with vehicular homicide in the May 17 school bus crash on Route 80, was decertified as a school bus driver by the state Department of Education in December, according to documents obtained through an Open Public Records Act request.
A Dec. 21, 2017, letter to Robinson from the Department of Education's Criminal History Review Unit, informed her that the state Motor Vehicle Commission had revoked Muldrow's bus driver endorsement and that his medical certification had expired.
The letter went on to ask Robinson to respond, in writing, that the district had complied with the agency's determination of Muldrow's ineligibility to operate school buses.
The letters obtained by The Record and NorthJersey.com do not specify what prompted the suspension of Muldrow’s endorsement in December. In an earlier statement, Robinson said she was not aware of anything disqualifying in Muldrow's record.
"Nothing that was provided to the district by the state reflected that the driver had any moving violations," Robinson told The Record and NorthJersey.com. "In fact, all we were told is that he was a driver in good standing and eligible to operate a school bus."
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According to state guidelines, a driver's endorsement can be revoked because of criminal history or a disqualifying medical condition.
Stephen Fogarty, an attorney for the Paramus Board of Education, said Robinson had received the letter from the Department of Education on Dec. 22, a day before school ended for the Christmas holiday.
Muldrow renewed his medical certificate on Dec. 26, Fogarty said, and submitted the paperwork the following day.
Muldrow’s “S” endorsement was restored in January, allowing him to drive once again.
Fogarty said the district understood the expiration of Muldrow's medical certificate to be the reason for the suspension of his endorsement.
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The Motor Vehicle Commission has confirmed that Muldrow's license had been suspended 14 times over the years, most recently in December. Six of the suspensions were for unpaid parking tickets. But Muldrow had also received eight speeding tickets over the years and was cited for careless driving.
The Record and NorthJersey.com have reported that Muldrow's December license suspension was because of unpaid parking tickets. The December letter from the Criminal History Review Unit to Robinson did not explain why Muldrow's license was suspended. But the expired medical certificate did not appear to be the reason.
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In a separate letter to Muldrow, also dated Dec. 21, the agency gave him 14 days to challenge the determination and informed him of his expired medical certification.
On Jan. 24, the agency sent a letter to Robinson informing her that Muldrow's bus driver endorsement had been restored, making him eligible to operate school buses again.
On May 17, Muldrow was behind the wheel of one of three buses transporting students and teachers from East Brook Middle School in Paramus on a field trip to Waterloo Village, a historic settlement some 50 miles west.
After missing an exit for Waterloo Village, police said that Muldrow attempted an illegal U-turn in the median of Interstate 80. A dump truck traveling westbound in the center lane struck the bus in the side toward the rear.
Miranda Vargas, a 10-year-old student, and Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, a 51-year-old teacher, were killed in the crash. More than 40 other bus passengers were injured.
On May 24, Muldrow, 77, of Woodland Park, was charged by the Morris County Prosecutor with two counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of Vargas and Williamson-Kennedy.
The same day, the Department of Education sent letters to Muldrow, Robinson and Raymond Martinez, chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, explaining that if Muldrow were to be convicted of the charges he faced, he'd be permanently disqualified from driving a bus.
Muldrow was initially jailed but released on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 25.
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