Over 150 school bus employees to lose jobs

A troubled school bus company in Orange County is shutting down and laying off dozens of workers after multiple complaints of student abuse and mistreatment.

First Student Bus Company's problems started in 2015 when a bus monitor was allegedly caught on camera striking two students with autism on a bus.

High-profile civil rights attorney Michael Sussman represented the Pine Bush family in that case, which he says settled for an undisclosed amount of money.

Other complaints soon followed in 2016 when a 17-year-old with autism was allegedly dropped off on the side of busy Route 17 by a First Student bus driver.

A year later, the Pine Bush School District confirmed a driver didn't follow protocol when a 6-year-old boy got on the wrong bus and was dropped off by himself at the wrong stop.

Three school districts, including Pine Bush, recently dropped the company and took their business elsewhere.

The move is forcing the company to lay off 166 people and shut its doors, according to workers union Local 445.

Sussman says at least half a dozen cases, with similar allegations against the company, have been presented in court. Some of them are still pending.

News 12 calls to First Student Bus Company for comment have not been returned.