School Bus Transportation News at STN Media

Florida School Bus Arrests Raise
Security Concerns

TAMPA, Fla. — A week before school let out for the summer, officials at a Florida school district found themselves re-evaluating security measures after two men boarded a bus full of students on its way to Wharton High School.

Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidram, 20, were arrested upon arrival to the campus and charged with misdemeanor trespassing.

Stephen Hegarty, spokesman for Hillsborough County Public Schools, said Almanajam and Alsidram blended in with the 35 to 40 high school-aged riders and didn’t attract the substitute driver’s attention. During the 20-minute ride, students alerted the bus driver to the the men’s presence because they didn’t recognize the men and heard them speaking Arabic. The driver called her supervisor, and a school resource officer met the bus at the school and arrested Almanajam and Alsidram.
“There was not a disturbance,” Hegarty said. “No threats of violence.”

The case was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security Division, Florida Department of Law Enforcement/Regional Domestic Security Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, investigators determined Almanajam and Alsidram arrived in the U.S. legally from Saudi Arabia six months earlier on student visas and were enrolled at the University of South Florida.

At the time of the arrest, they reportedly gave conflicting reasons for boarding the school bus, but later explained through an interpreter that they just wanted to visit the high school and didn’t know it was only for students. Federal officials released them four days later after determining they didn’t pose a security threat. While relieved the problem was determined to be a misunderstanding, Hegarty said the situation may serve as a wake-up call for the school transportation industry.

“I think any bus transportation people would look and say, ‘I’m glad there was no harm and no intention to do harm to anyone, but what if?’” he said. “And that’s what we are left with.”

In response to that question, Hillsborough officials plan to meet during the summer break to determine if school bus security measures need to be increased. Hegarty cited ID badges or fingerprint identification as possibilities but noted it would add a significant layer to the duties of a school bus driver.

“We are facing the same kinds of decisions that airlines and the FAA faced several years ago,” he said. “What are we willing to pay in terms of convenience and cost to achieve safety?”