November 17, 2022 by Carol Britton Meyer
UPDATED November 18, 2022 at 9:37am
A photo taken at the scene of the arrest of a bus driver charged with allegedly operating under the influence of intoxicating substances while driving a school bus full of students in Pembroke on Thursday shows a yellow school bus with the words "Hingham Public Schools" painted on the sides.
According to published reports, the driver -- identified by the police as Bethann Sweeney, 53, of Hanover -- was operating the bus erratically while traveling northbound on Rte. 3 in Pembroke at about 6 p.m. with about 40 Hingham students onboard who were returning from a high school athletic event.
In a letter to the Hingham school community Thursday night, Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams and Hingham High School Principal Rick Swanson said that after a staff member who was on the bus became concerned about the driver's performance and shared those concerns with the driver, the bus driver pulled the bus off the highway.
The staff on board called 911 to enlist the support of the Massachusetts State Police, who responded right away. The students were then transported safely home by bus by another driver.
"We are deeply concerned by the incident, and, more importantly, the distress this caused our students," Adams and Swanson said in the letter. "We are grateful to our staff onboard the bus, who responded immediately and acted quickly and responsibly to protect the safety of our students."
A brief press release issued after the incident said that the Hingham Public Schools "will immediately begin an investigation into the incident and take all necessary and appropriate actions as a result to ensure the safety and well-being of our students."
The Anchor will publish updates as they are available.