The California Highway Patrol is reviewing complaints that Hemet Unified School District allowed school bus drivers to work beyond state limits, raising concerns among employees that driver fatigue could put students and staff at risk.
The allegations were made in two complaints sent to the CHP’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit on March 28 and April 18 by whistleblowers from the district’s transportation department. The employees allege the district repeatedly violated rules governing how many hours school bus drivers may work.
The complaints cite information the employees said came from Hemet Unified’s digital timekeeping system. The March 28 complaint alleges hundreds of violations involving more than 40 drivers between July 2025 and March 2026.
According to that complaint, employees identified 247 alleged violations, including 227 cases in which drivers worked between 80 and 85 hours during an eight-day span, exceeding the 80-hour limit. The complaint also alleged 19 instances in which drivers surpassed 90 hours in an eight-day period and 20 cases in which drivers exceeded the 16-hour daily on-duty limit.
The April 18 complaint alleged that from January through April, at least 16 drivers worked more than 16 hours in a day. It also alleged more than 100 cases from Jan. 5 to April 17 in which drivers worked more than 80 hours over a rolling eight-day period, including nine employees who worked more than 90 hours.
California law limits school bus drivers to 10 hours of driving in a day, bars them from remaining on duty more than 16 hours after reporting to work and prohibits them from driving after accumulating 80 on-duty hours over any eight consecutive days.
Sgt. Omar Morales of the CHP’s Border Division said the investigation began in mid-April and is being handled jointly by motor carrier safety units from the CHP’s Border and Inland divisions. Morales said Thursday that details of the inquiry could not be released but that the investigation is expected to be completed within a couple of months.
One district employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said more than six employees went to the CHP and the media after they believed complaints to district transportation leadership and an administrator were ignored. The employee said the alleged violations are considered serious in the commercial driving field because the rules are intended to prevent fatigue-related crashes.
Hemet Unified spokesperson Brenda Aguirre-Hassan said the district has not received formal complaints directly tied to the allegations and called the claim that employees reported concerns internally unsubstantiated. She said the district is reviewing personnel matters connected to the CHP investigation.
Aguirre-Hassan said Hemet Unified follows extensive safety procedures that comply with pupil transportation laws and regulations. She said employees receive recurring training on compliance and operational safety.
The district verifies driver hours through digital timekeeping and manual logs, Aguirre-Hassan said. Those records, she said, are reviewed internally by the transportation department and are available to the CHP during scheduled and unannounced terminal inspections.
Aguirre-Hassan said the district is considering improvements to its auditing software that would provide real-time warnings when drivers approach service-hour limits. She also noted that before the CHP investigation, Hemet Unified had maintained “satisfactory” ratings, the CHP’s highest rating, during inspections.
Hemet Unified has one of Southern California’s larger school bus operations and has served as a regional transportation provider since 2014, when the district expanded under former Transportation Manager Michael Fogerty. The district has provided busing for neighboring districts and agencies, bringing in outside revenue that officials have said helps cover costs, upgrade buses and keep the transportation program self-sustaining.
The district did not provide a complete list of agencies it serves, but the April 18 complaint states Hemet Unified provides transportation services for districts including Perris Union High School District, Perris Elementary, Nuview Union Elementary, Romoland, San Jacinto Unified and Val Verde Unified, among others.
The complaint alleges some employees believe the district is prioritizing contract volume and revenue over safety. Aguirre-Hassan said Hemet Unified employs 239 professional school bus drivers.
The April 18 complaint also points to turnover in the transportation department, including the resignations of two executive directors in the past three years, along with three transportation managers and one coordinator. It alleges some newer managers lack sufficient knowledge of pupil transportation laws and have given improper operational direction.
The anonymous employee said the department has suffered from poor communication and management problems since Fogerty’s retirement about five years ago. The complaint specifically questions the appointment of former Valle Vista Elementary School Principal Jeff Keeney as executive director of transportation, alleging the position requires greater regulatory and operational expertise.
