RAVENNA, Ohio — Records obtained by News 5 Investigators show the Ravenna City Schools bus driver involved in a crash last month had a history of accidents, complaints, and disciplinary issues.
The bus collided with a white pickup truck along Cleveland Road in Ravenna Township on September 18.
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According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the bus driver traveled left of center and hit a pickup truck.
Minor injuries were reported, but no one was transported to the hospital, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Her time with Kent City Schools
Ravenna City Schools Superintendent Ben Ribelin said his staff called her previous employer, Kent City Schools, before hiring her in June 2026, and said the district gave her a good review.
A Kent City Schools employee said they provided "accurate information" to Ravenna.
Ribelin said Kent did not share "anything out of the ordinary."
According to records obtained by News 5 Investigators, McCabe worked as a substitute bus driver for Kent City Schools from December 2025 to April 2026.
During her four-month tenure, McCabe "hit a number of things," according to her personnel file.
A document lists nine separate incidents, including hitting a garage door, causing the bus to go into a ditch, and a citizen reporting that "she almost hit him."
The document states that the "final event" was "when she hit a parked car on a one-way street."
In a statement the News 5, the district said it "decided to no longer use Ms. McCabe as a substitute driver" after the April 2, 2026 incident.
Her time with Aurora City Schools
Ribelin said his staff did not contact Aurora City Schools, where McCabe worked from September 19, 2024 to November. 21, 2025, before she was hired by Kent City Schools.
"In hindsight, you know, to call every reference would have probably been the best thing," Ribelin said.
McCabe's personnel records include information about written reprimands, accident reports, and complaints during her 14-month tenure.
The Aurora City Schools records show she was involved in three driving-related incidents.
The incidents include backing into a cement street lamp on Dec. 19, 2024, which caused minor damage. She reported getting a bus stuck in the grass while attempting to turn around during a tennis-team trip on April 4, 2025. On May 21, 2025, she said she struck and knocked off the side mirror of another school bus when she was backing up in the parking lot.
Reprimands, warnings & complaints
Aurora City Schools records also show McCabe received written reprimands, warnings, and complaints from community members.
Records show she was reprimanded for repeatedly falling asleep when she was supposed to be supervising students.
Records also show a man complained that McCabe did not slow down or move over while he was blowing leaves in his yard and was close enough that she nearly hit him.
In October 2025, a mother complained the bus's flashing lights and stop sign were not activated when a child exited the bus.
The mom also complained her children said McCabe played loud music, looked at her phone while driving, and allowed kindergarten students to dance in the aisles.
Records also show 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 20th, 2025, McCabe was warned about missing portions of her route on four separate occasions. McCabe 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.
Ribelin said he would consider conducting a more thorough check of a potential school bus driver's employment history for future hires.
Attempts to reach McCabe
News 5 Investigators made multiple attempts to contact McCabe.
No one returned our calls or answered the door at her home.
In a resignation letter, McCabe apologized for the school bus crash, which she described as an "unfortunate accident."
She also wrote that she needs to "work on [her] professional driving abilities."
The Ohio State Highway Patrol cited McCabe for a lanes-of-travel violation, a minor misdemeanor, after determining she drove left of center.
Court records show she later paid a $170 fine.
