GATES, N.Y. — Nobody was hurt, but a Gates Chili school bus driver is under arrest and charged with multiple DWI-related charges. 

Police say Lashonda Griffin was drunk while driving a school bus with students on board. 

She was arrested around 8:30 a.m. Friday following her morning bus route. Police received a call saying she was unresponsive inside her parked school bus at the bus facility, but they determined she was actually sleeping. 

"At the time that we received the call and arrived there, the children had already been taken off the bus," said Gates Police Department Lt. Rob Long. "There were no children at the bus garage. All the children that were on the bus during this incident had been dropped off at school."

Long says Griffin was given a field sobriety test at that point, which she failed. 

“From the evidence at the scene and our investigation, the bus driver responded to work intoxicated; that’s what we’re alleging,” he said.

The bus route was for North Star Christian Academy, which has students from grades kindergarten to 12. 

Police also learned that the driver had made an unauthorized stop during the route at a McDonald's. 

"During the route of the bus trip, she stopped at a McDonalds, with the students. She had the wherewithal to have the students get off the bus with her," said Long. "She went inside McDonald's and made a purchase, came back out to the bus, continued the route, dropped the kids off at the proper school, safely. No one was injured - no one was harmed, and then [she] went back to her bus garage where they found her sleeping inside her bus."

The charges include six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, four counts of Leandra’s Law DWI, and one count each of common law DWI, BAC greater than .08, and reckless driving.

The district released a statement, in part:

"While the district cannot comment directly on personnel matters, we can say that this is an egregious violation of our policies and practices and will never be tolerated. As a probationary employee with minimal due process rights, the district will be pursuing swift and appropriate action to ensure the safety of all students.   

The safety of students and employees is the district’s top priority, and we are very grateful that no one was harmed as a result of this individual’s actions. The families of the students who were on the bus have already been notified. As a result, if you have not been notified, then it was not your child’s bus or bus driver involved in this situation.  

We are very sorry that these students and families in this community have been impacted by the unfathomable actions of one person. Please remember this was an act of one employee. The district is proud of its bus drivers and their safety record of transporting thousands of students each day without incident. Out of an abundance of caution, the district is taking time to review safety protocols with all drivers. 

School district officials want to thank the Gates Police Department and its officers for their swift action in apprehending this individual."