GOWANDA — The Silver Creek woman facing several felony charges for allegedly driving a school bus while impaired will no longer be allowed to transport students from the Gowanda Central School District.

Dr. Bob Anderson, Gowanda superintendent, told parents and confirmed to the OBSERVER on Thursday that Marianne Clayton will not be permitted to transport local students moving forward. The 63-year-old woman was charged with three felony counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, driving while impaired by drugs and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Clayton was transporting nine Gowanda students to a BOCES program in Chautauqua County on Tuesday when she was spotted by police swerving into oncoming traffic on Route 438 near Woodchuck Road on the Seneca Nation of Indians Territory. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office, in a news release, said the Silver Creek woman displayed signs of impairment and later failed field sobriety tests.

“This particular employee will no longer serve our students,” Anderson said. “Our issue is with the employee not the bus company — they have been good partners.”

The superintendent said Gowanda has contracted out some of its busing of students who go to programs outside the district. That includes utilizing the Depew, New York-based WNY Bus Company where Clayton reportedly works. Anderson said Gowanda currently handles the transportation of students to its school.

A message left to the general manager of WNY Bus Company regarding Clayton and the charges lodge against her was not returned Thursday.

Anderson said the contracting out of busing services has largely been a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that with spacing requirements on buses and a lack of qualified drivers applying for positions, the district has had to turn to outside companies in the last year — including the route Clayton had been handling. The district will eventually resume transporting those students using Gowanda buses and employees, he said.