Rockwall

2nd District Investigated Allegation Against Arrested Rockwall School Bus Driver

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A day after a Rockwall ISD school driver was arrested, accused of recording inappropriate videos of kids getting on and off his bus, Wylie ISD said it investigated a complaint against him last year.

Michael Paul Smith, 43, is facing charges of invasive visual recording.

Prior to going to work in Rockwall, Wylie ISD said Smith worked for it as a bus driver from August 2017 through May 2019.

Wylie ISD notified parents with a Facebook post on Thursday saying in part, "Smith passed all background checks when he was hired, and during his tenure at Wylie ISD. We had no complaints about him until an allegation was made in May 2019 by a student on one of his routes."

That complaint came from Joanne Goodman's daughter, who claimed she'd been inappropriately touched while getting off the bus.

"I was shocked. I was just like, 'What?!' I was really, really shocked," said Joanne Goodman.

Goodman said she and Wylie ISD watched surveillance video of Smith waving the kids off the bus, when she believed she saw him reach out and touch her daughter's rear.

"I had them rewind it three times to the lowest speed they can do, and that's when you see him actually do this," said Goodman.

Wylie ISD said it immediately removed Smith from duty and handed the investigation over to Wylie Police and the Collin County Child Advocacy Center.

According to Thursday's statement, "Investigators from both agencies informed us that they did not find enough evidence to file a charge, and there was no further action the district could take regarding this case."

It also said Smith chose to resign during the investigation.

"I was furious because it felt like a defeated moment," said Goodman.

The next Goodman heard of Smith came this week when police in Rockwall arrested him.

"It was only a matter of time before he went to another district or somewhere else and did something that he shouldn't," said Goodman.

Rockwall ISD has since fired Smith.

It also released a statement Thursday saying, "Rockwall ISD maintains a comprehensive background check as part of its hiring process. With respect to the individual in question, no information was received by Rockwall ISD at the time of his hiring to indicate that he was under investigation by law enforcement."

Smith bonded out of Rockwall County Jail Jan. 11, according to county records.

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