School Bus Driver Convicted Of Child Sex Crime Spent 12 Years Driving Students

A 68-year-old man who was recently convicted of a child sex crime worked as a bus driver for Central York High School in York County, Pennsylvania, for 12 years.

Harry Clayton Frigm pleaded guilty in York County court earlier this month to a third-degree felony charge for engaging in sexual contact with a child. Other counts of indecent assault and corrupting a minor were dismissed by prosecutors, York Dispatch reported.

Frigm is scheduled to be sentenced on the child sex charge on Nov. 30.

Authorities began investigating the York city resident in January 2020 after an unnamed child reported being assaulted by him. Frigm was fired by the school after the allegations came out, according to the Central York School District.

Frigm was shown on video footage, obtained by police, having sexually-oriented conversations with the child, according to a criminal complaint cited by York Dispatch. He was also seen touching the child sexually on one occasion.

Frigm started working as a bus driver for Central York High School in 2008, according to Edward Flavin, a spokesperson for the district's previous school bus service, Illinois-based Durham School Services.

His employment lasted until 2019, when the district changed to another bus service. He was later rehired by the new service, Reliance Student Transportations, according to Reliance CEO John Polli.

The 68-year-old had no previous charges tied to child sex offenses before the current one. He also had no past criminal records when the state court records were checked.

According to Pennsylvania state law, prospective school bus drivers need to pass a criminal background check through Pennsylvania State Police and submit to a child abuse history check. Aside from that, there is also a required background check through the FBI, and prospective bus drivers need to have their driving record checked.

All of these were covered when Frigm was first hired by Durham, the spokesperson confirmed. Reliance also completes the requirements when it hires new people, according to its website.

District spokesperson Julie Randall Romig said that the Central York School District does not keep records of bus drivers because it is not their direct employer.

However, the bus company reportedly gives the district a list each year of its bus drivers as well as their pre-employment clearances, which are required before they can be allowed to drive students.

“(The list is) required to be updated and maintained for the safety and security of our students,” Randall Romig said.