Long Island school bus driver, cancer patient, fired for drinking on the job — claims she didn't know White Claw was alcoholic

A Long Island, New York, school bus driver was fired after she was caught with alcohol as she drove children home but was not charged by police.

The 60-year-old woman, Amal Hanna, said that she didn't know that the hard seltzer she grabbed, a White Claw, was alcoholic. Police believed her story and decided not to charge the woman after it was revealed that she is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer, the New York Post reported.

According to News 12 Long Island, Hanna said that she grabbed a drink that her roommate had left in their fridge. She also told the outlet that she has trouble tasting anything, let alone alcohol.

“It was just a mistake, it was a mistake,” Hanna franticly told reporters. “For people like me that don’t drink — how are they going to know this is alcohol?” Hanna asked, noting that the warning on the can was in small print.

A bus driver for 15 years, Hanna was bringing students from Smithtown High School West home when the can was reported in her cup holder. She was then immediately removed from service, her employer said.

“This alleged conduct is completely unacceptable and the driver has been immediately removed from service,” a spokesperson from WE Transport Inc, said.

Smithtown school district officials also offered no remorse and said she “will no longer transport any Smithtown student.”

“Our students’ safety is of the utmost importance to the Smithtown Central School District and we will remain steadfast in our efforts to create a safe environment for all our students,” Smithtown Central School District Superintendent Mark Secaur told parents in an email.

The district has “zero tolerance for this behavior," he said, adding that Hanna was “promptly taken from the bus, and a different driver completed the route.”

“She was so sweet and kind to them, I can't imagine she would ever do anything to harm them,” one parent told News 12. “I think it was a very honest mistake," the mother added.

“I love the kids, I love my company,” Hanna said. “I’m frightened I’m going to be on the street because of a mistake,” she continued.

The ex-bus driver said she is worried about how she will afford her chemotherapy treatments moving forward.

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