HESPERIA - The Sultana High School girls softball team was stranded in Lancaster following a game Thursday night after the coach told the school bus driver he wasn't needed to transport them back to Hesperia.

School officials said they believe that the driver of the bus may have been under the influence of a controlled substance.

The company they contract their transportation services through is First Student Transportation in Hesperia.

First Student Transportation declined to comment.

First Student Transportation is a subsidiary of First Group America, which provides transportation needs globally.

"We were able to confirm that there were concerns about the safe return of the students from Lancaster and they had to get a second bus out to the location, which caused a delay," said Hesperia Unified School District spokeswoman Lori Mente. "Parents were given an option to pick up their children or wait for the bus, and it is our understanding that only one parent drove out to pick up their student."

All other team members reportedly were returned to the Sultana school grounds on the second bus around midnight.

The coach was concerned that the driver may have been under the influence of marijuana, but school officials wouldn't stipulate as to how she came to that conclusion.

"Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were called out to the Lancaster

Advertisement
school to look into the matter," said HUSD Interim Superintendant David McLaughlin. "They investigated and released the driver saying he was fine."

The school district is continuing to investigate the incident.

Reach Doug via email, call him at 909-386-3925, or find him on Twitter @crimeshutterbug.