The Clayton Ridge School District has fired a bus driver accused of repeatedly driving while using his cellphone. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Donald Schneider worked for the Clayton Ridge Community School District as a bus driver until March 10, 2026, when he was placed on administrative leave. A month later, he was fired. According to the findings of a judge who presided over Schneider’s subsequent hearing seeking unemployment benefits, Schneider began working for the district as a bus driver on September 1, 2022. On March 10, 2026, Schneider reported an incident of some type that had occurred on the bus, triggering a district review of security-camera video from the bus. During the review, district officials allegedly noticed Schneider was using his cellphone while driving the bus in violation of district policy and state law. As a result, the district allegedly reviewed additional videos from the bus that showed what the judge later called “substantial, frequent and egregious use” of the cellphone while driving. According to district officials, when Schneider was questioned, he acknowledged using his cellphone inappropriately and indicated he knew it was illegal to use the phone while driving. The school board fired Schneider in April of this year.
