Pubdate: Fri, 23 Dec 2005
Source: Des Moines Register (IA)
Copyright: 2005 The Des Moines Register.
Contact:  http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html
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SCHOOL BUS DRIVER FIRED FOR FIELD TRIP BEHAVIOR

The Des Moines Man Had Been Accused Of Sexually  Suggestive Words And
Gestures.

A Des Moines school bus driver has been fired after  being accused of
"sexually inappropriate" behavior with  Central Campus students on a
field trip and for failing  to report students' marijuana use.

Shon Clausen, 38, of Des Moines was fired by the Des  Moines school
district in late September after being  placed on leave for five
months. He had worked for the  district for four years as a bus
driver, although his  driving record includes a license suspension and
19  traffic citations.

District records indicate Clausen was fired after a  district
investigation into a 17-day field trip in  which Central Campus
students traveled to Florida in  March as part of their marine biology
studies. Clausen  was accused of making sexually suggestive comments
to  female students; of persistently commenting on the  students'
physical appearance; of making "sexually  inappropriate gestures" with
his hands; and of touching  some of the students in "an unwanted or
unwelcome" way,  the records show.

District spokesman Klark Jessen said the district has  not alleged any
criminal conduct by Clausen. The  circumstances surrounding Clausen's
dismissal were made  public this month after an unemployment benefits
hearing.

The records also show Clausen was accused of failing to  tell district
officials that some students had brought  marijuana on the trip. Doug
Willyard, the district's  deputy director of human resources, alleged
in a letter  to Clausen that his actions had "resulted in even more
students being sent home for drug usage" than would  have happened
otherwise.

Clausen said the sexual-harassment allegations are  false and were
made only after he caught three students  on a Florida beach creating
a pipe out of empty  Mountain Dew cans. When he realized the students
were  intending to smoke marijuana, he said, he told them to  get rid
of the drugs. In what he called an "error in  judgment," he didn't
report the incident until the next  day when it appeared to him that
the students had  ignored his advice.

By that point, he said, it appeared that more students  were using the
drug. Ultimately, Clausen said, seven  students were sent home from
Florida for drug use.  Jessen declined to say how many students were
sent  home, saying the number was tied to "personal  information for
students."

Clausen said he worked the annual Florida field trip  for three years
in a row, acting as bus driver and  photographer.

Jessen said that typically there are about 60 students  on each trip,
accompanied by roughly 30 adults.

"The adults include everybody from people driving the  buses to the
diving instructors," he said. "And they  even have nurses along in
case medical attention is  needed. And then, of course, there are a
significant  number of parents."

The popular, award-winning marine biology program was  established in
the 1980s and draws students from a  50-mile radius. The program
includes an on-site  laboratory and the annual two-week trip to
Florida.  Students raise money to help pay for the trip, and
scholarships are available for those who qualify.

Court records indicate Clausen has received 19 traffic  citations
since 1993 , including seven for speeding and  seven for failure to
have a valid vehicle registration.  Clausen said that he also has had
his "fair share of  accidents" and that his license was suspended for
four  months in 1989 after he received three tickets in a  one-year
period. He said he's very careful now when it  comes to driving.

"I do play a lot of pool, and I do know how to drink  Coors Light, but
I will not touch a vehicle,  whatsoever, even after one" drink, he
said. Referring  to a Des Moines restaurant and pub, he said, "If you
know where Felix and Oscar's is, I've walked home many  times from
there."

Jessen said the district examines the driving record  and criminal
history of all bus drivers before they are  hired. District policy
says drivers must have a "good  driving record," although that term is
not defined.

"We know what their driving record is when we hire  them," Jessen
said. "There are no hard-and-fast rules,  but obviously the driving
record that we see when we  hire someone has to be something that
would lead us to  believe they'd be a responsible driver."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin