UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2025): Following this reporting, DASH has placed both registered sex offenders on administrative leave. The transit agency said it is now assessing “the rigor of our recruitment standards” and confirmed that one of the employees is a bus driver, contradicting its initial statement Tuesday that no drivers were on the registry. DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting
Following a discussion on the Alexandria School Board’s safety concerns about the proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses, ALXnow investigated the transit agency’s background check policies and discovered that it does not “expressly prohibit” sex offenders from employment.
While there aren’t any sex offenders now employed as bus drivers, DASH currently employs a sex offender listed on the Virginia State Police registry as an administrative employee, and until May also employed another sex offender in an administrative role, DASH confirmed to ALXnow on Tuesday. The transit agency said in a statement that it performs full criminal history background checks and drug and alcohol screenings in its hiring processes, and “does not automatically disqualify candidates based solely on their past criminal history.”
The question of safety on DASH buses transporting children starting in the 2026-27 school year was raised by the School Board in a Sept. 11 work session.
In that meeting, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said safety is her primary concern, and wondered whether the transit agency could accommodate late openings, and whether DASH could adapt to immediately transport students in the event of an early dismissal. School Board Chair Michelle Rief said she recently observed a student get off a DASH bus that, unlike school buses, didn’t have a stop arm, and saw the student walk to the rear of the bus to cross the street and nearly caused vehicles to crash.
School Board Vice Chair Chris Harris also asked ACPS staff to clarify what the hiring standards are for ACPS bus drivers versus DASH bus drivers, and said that students will build relationships with their bus drivers. He also asked whether ACPS had a guarantee on timing as to when the school system would receive video in the event of incidents occurring on DASH buses.
Alexandria City Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Alicia Hart said that ACPS had not discussed legal and safety measures with DASH up to that point. She also said that bus driver background checks are a high priority for the school system, since drivers primarily deal with children. She also said that ACPS performs rigorous background checks on its school bus driver candidates to ensure sex offenders aren’t hired, and that they complete specialized training to work with students. Hart also said she wants there to be a similar hiring process for DASH bus drivers who will be transporting students.
“I would strongly advocate for there to be an apples-to-apples background check for the bus drivers that would be in contact with our students on a regular basis, on a mandated basis,” Hart said. “I think it is extremely important that we not only check again for general offenses, but for that sex offender piece as well, just because students of varying ages will be in contact with these drivers.”
In Virginia, a sex offender is a person who has been convicted of a sex crime requiring registration under the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act. This includes a wide range of offenses, from rape and sexual battery to child pornography offenses and crimes against minors, as well as related crimes like murder and breaking and entering with the intent to commit a sex offense. The specific offenses triggering registration are detailed in Virginia Code § 9.1-902.
DASH CEO Josh Baker said in an email Tuesday (Sept. 23) that employees are not expressly prohibited from working for the transit agency if they are on the sex offender registry, but that it is taken into consideration during the hiring process.
“Our service is an open system with no individualized transportation; it is monitored live in real time every day, all day by 24 24-hour/365-day control center staff, multiple layers of in-office and on-the-road supervisors with thousands of people boarding and alighting safely every day,” Baker said. “As such our current policy does not expressly prohibit somebody from working at DASH due to being on the registry; we take it (and any other criminal history) into consideration as one part of our overall evaluation process of every candidate.”
When specifically asked on Tuesday (Sept. 23) whether sex offenders could be drivers, DASH sent the following note to ALXnow:
Our top priority is the safety and security of our riders and staff. As a community-first, fare-free public transit agency, we are deeply committed to upholding the highest standards of conduct, integrity, and respect across all aspects of our operations, especially in our hiring practices.
As part of our employment process, all candidates must undergo background and reference checks. For roles classified as safety-sensitive or security-sensitive (as defined in the job descriptions), additional pre-employment requirements are conducted by our Safety and Security Department. These include a DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) background check, motor vehicle record (MVR) checks, pre-employment drug screening, and a DOT physical.
Updated in 2023, our current hiring policy adheres to all local, state, and federal public transportation guidance, and does not automatically disqualify candidates based solely on their past criminal history. Background checks are one element of a larger, more comprehensive evaluation process that every applicant must go through, reflecting a balanced, case-by-case hiring practice.
DASH operates in a complex, high-volume environment that demands rigorous safety protocols. We proudly serve thousands of riders each day and have been doing so safely for more than 41 years. Our transit system runs nearly 24/7 and is continuously monitored by our in-house security team. This includes multiple layers of supervision both in the field and in the office, as well as coordination with city departments to ensure a safe and satisfactory experience for all of our riders.
While we recognize that transporting the general public differs from transporting school-aged children, it is important to note that DASH is at its core a public transportation service, and functions to benefit all community members and riders. Given the scale and complexity of our operations, we continuously review and refine our policies and operating procedures to meet the ongoing needs of the community and stay in line with our commitments, mission, and vision.
Previous ALXnow coverage has detailed ongoing concerns about the proposal, including a number of unresolved safety and operational challenges.
ACHS students have also voiced strong opposition to the plan.
The city has proposed a three-phase transition of ACHS students riding DASH buses starting at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
- Phase 1 would transition approximately 30% of current high school bus riders to existing DASH Lines 31 and 36A/B, which provide direct service to Alexandria City High School’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses.
- Phase 2 would add enhanced service to DASH Line 35 to better serve West End students, potentially covering more than 60% of current bus riders. Some students would need to transfer between routes.
- Phase 3 envisions broader systemwide route changes allowing any student within a quarter-mile of a DASH stop to use public transit instead of school buses, potentially serving more than 86% of current riders.
The School Board and City Council will continue discussions at a joint work session on Sept. 29 (Monday) from 6 to 8 p.m. in the School Board Meeting Room at 1340 Braddock Place.
