Ravenna Bus Driver in September Crash Had Record of Accidents, Complaints at Two Previous Districts

Records obtained by News 5 Investigators show that the Ravenna City Schools bus driver involved in a September crash had a history of accidents, complaints and discipline at two other school districts before she was hired.

The crash happened September 18 on Cleveland Road in Ravenna Township, when the bus collided with a white pickup truck. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver, identified in records as McCabe, traveled left of center and struck the truck. Minor injuries were reported, but nobody was taken to a hospital. The patrol cited her for a lanes-of-travel violation, a minor misdemeanor, and court records show she later paid a $170 fine.

Ravenna Superintendent Ben Ribelin said his staff called her most recent employer, Kent City Schools, before hiring her in June 2026. He said the district gave a good review and did not pass along "anything out of the ordinary." A Kent City Schools employee said the district provided "accurate information" to Ravenna.

Kent's records paint a more troubled picture. McCabe worked there as a substitute bus driver from December 2025 to April 2026, and her personnel file says she "hit a number of things." One document lists nine incidents, among them hitting a garage door, sending a bus into a ditch and a citizen's report that "she almost hit him." The "final event," the file states, was when she hit a parked car on a one-way street. Kent told News 5 it decided to stop using her as a substitute driver after the April 2, 2026, incident.

Ravenna did not contact Aurora City Schools, where McCabe drove from September 19, 2024, to November 21, 2025, before moving to Kent. "In hindsight, you know, to call every reference would have probably been the best thing," Ribelin said.

Her Aurora file covers about 14 months and includes written reprimands, accident reports and complaints. It documents three driving-related incidents: backing into a cement street lamp on December 19, 2024, causing minor damage; getting a bus stuck in the grass while turning around during a tennis-team trip on April 4, 2025; and knocking off the side mirror of another school bus while backing up in a parking lot on May 21, 2025.

The records also show she was reprimanded for repeatedly falling asleep while supposed to be supervising students. A man complained that she did not slow down or move over while he was blowing leaves in his yard and came close enough to nearly hit him. In October 2025, a mother complained that the bus's flashing lights and stop sign were not activated when a child got off. She also said her children reported that McCabe played loud music, looked at her phone while driving and let kindergartners dance in the aisles.

A supervisor documented concerns about McCabe's speed, compliance with student-safety policies and time management after students were left "waiting in the rain" for their bus. On November 20, 2025, she was warned about missing portions of her route on four occasions. She resigned the next day.

"You know, I thought we had done our job the way we normally would, having this information may have changed our minds differently but we didn't have that information in front of us," Ribelin said. He said he would consider a more thorough check of employment history for future bus driver hires.

News 5 Investigators made multiple attempts to reach McCabe. No one returned calls or answered the door at her home. In a resignation letter, she apologized for the crash, calling it an "unfortunate accident," and wrote that she needs to "work on [her] professional driving abilities."