The California Highway Patrol is reviewing complaints that Hemet Unified School District allowed school bus drivers to work beyond state limits, raising concerns that fatigue could put students and employees at risk.
The allegations were made in complaints submitted March 28 and April 18 to the CHP’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit by whistleblowers within the district’s transportation department. The employees contend that the district repeatedly permitted drivers to exceed legal hour limits while transporting children.
The complaints cite information the employees say came from Hemet Unified’s digital timekeeping system. The April 18 complaint alleges the pattern reflects more than isolated mistakes and points to broader problems in how the transportation department is being operated.
According to the March 28 complaint, more than 40 drivers allegedly surpassed state safety limits hundreds of times between July 2025 and March 2026. The employees identified 247 primary violations, including 227 cases in which drivers worked between 80 and 85 hours over an eight-day period, exceeding the state’s 80-hour limit. The complaint also lists 19 instances in which drivers worked more than 90 hours in eight days and 20 cases in which drivers exceeded the 16-hour daily on-duty limit.
The April 18 complaint alleges that from January through April, at least 16 drivers worked more than 16 hours in a single day. It also says there were more than 100 instances between Jan. 5 and April 17 in which drivers worked more than 80 hours during a rolling eight-day period, including nine employees who allegedly surpassed 90 hours.
The complaints warn that driver fatigue is a significant safety concern in commercial transportation and argue that, if the district’s own records are accurate, Hemet Unified could be operating in a way that violates the law and endangers students. The employees said their goal was to bring attention to the issue before a serious crash or injury occurs.
CHP Sgt. Omar Morales, with the agency’s Border Division, said Thursday that the investigation began in mid-April and is being conducted jointly by motor carrier safety units from the Border and Inland divisions. Morales declined to discuss details of the inquiry but said it is expected to be completed within the next couple of months.
One reporting employee, who requested anonymity, said more than a half-dozen workers contacted CHP and the media after they believed internal complaints to the district’s transportation manager and a district administrator were ignored. The employee said commercial drivers are repeatedly trained not to violate hours-of-service laws.
California Vehicle Code Section 21702 and Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations Section 1212 limit school bus drivers to 10 hours of driving per day, prohibit them from remaining on duty more than 16 hours after reporting for work, and bar them from driving after reaching 80 on-duty hours in any consecutive eight-day period.
Hemet Unified spokesperson Brenda Aguirre-Hassan said the district has not received formal complaints directly related to the allegations and said the claim that employees previously alerted district managers has not been substantiated. She said the district is reviewing personnel issues connected to the CHP investigation.
Aguirre-Hassan said Hemet Unified follows safety procedures intended to comply with all pupil transportation laws and regulations. She said employees receive ongoing training on compliance and safe operations.
The district uses both electronic time tracking and manual logs to verify driver hours, Aguirre-Hassan said. Those records, she said, are checked through internal transportation department audits and are available to CHP during both scheduled and unannounced terminal inspections.
Aguirre-Hassan said the district is considering improvements to its auditing software that would provide real-time warnings as drivers approach legal hours-of-service limits. She also noted that before the CHP investigation, Hemet Unified had received “satisfactory” ratings — the highest possible — during CHP inspections.
Hemet Unified’s transportation department has served not only its own students but also other school systems in the region. Under former Transportation Manager Michael Fogerty, the district in 2014 expanded into a regional transportation provider, using one of Southern California’s larger school bus fleets to serve neighboring districts and agencies and generate outside revenue.
District officials have said those contracts help cover operating expenses, support fleet improvements and make transportation financially self-sustaining. Hemet Unified did not provide a complete list of districts and agencies it serves, but the April 18 complaint identifies Perris Union High School District, Perris Elementary, Nuview Union Elementary, Romoland, San Jacinto Unified and Val Verde Unified among those receiving busing services.
The complaint alleges that the volume of contracted transportation brings in millions of dollars and that some employees believe safety is being compromised to maintain those services. Aguirre-Hassan said Hemet Unified currently employs 239 professional school drivers.
The April 18 complaint also points to turnover in the transportation department, including the resignations of two executive directors in three years, along with three transportation managers and one coordinator. Employees alleged that some newer managers lack sufficient knowledge of pupil transportation law and have given improper operational direction.
The anonymous employee said the department has struggled since Fogerty retired about five years ago, citing management problems and communication breakdowns. The employee said staff members are frustrated and believe district leadership does not fully understand the legal responsibilities involved in running the transportation operation.
The complaint specifically notes the district’s appointment of Jeff Keeney, former principal of Valle Vista Elementary School, as executive director of transportation, alleging the district emphasized leadership style over transportation and regulatory expertise. It also says several managers remain new to their positions and appear unfamiliar with applicable laws and rules.
Original source: City News Service
