Driver Said to Make 'Survivor' Tape on Bus
BUENA VISTA, Pa. (AP) - A school bus driver encouraged students to jump around, throw things and misbehave on her moving bus so she could make an audition videotape for the reality television show "Survivor," police said.
Maureen Monaghan was charged with recklessly endangering children after allegedly urging 10 students to act up on her bus for the video, which she hoped would earn her a spot on the CBS show.
A separate camera on the inside of the bus recorded the Jan. 6 incident, and the bus company gave the footage to police.
"She encouraged the children to be disorderly on the bus while it was moving," Elizabeth Township police Chief Robert Wallace said. "In viewing the tape, there was so much commotion going on, we felt it was a very unsafe situation for her to allow this to happen."
It was not clear why the driver wanted misbehaving students in the video. The network suggests that "Survivor" applicants use their auditions to "talk about your job" and "why you would be the ultimate Survivor," according to the show's Web site.
Police collected 21 permission slips that some parents signed related to the taping, but only Monaghan's name was on the bottom, and there was no indication school officials knew about the plan, officer Kris Wagstaff said.
A woman who answered the telephone listed under Monaghan's name said Monaghan was not home Saturday and referred all questions to attorney Charles LoPresti, who did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.
The school district is investigating, spokeswoman Jane Milner said.
A representative of Monaghan's employer, Pennsylvania Coach Lines, would not comment on the case.
