Chester Co. bus driver in Nashville rollover pleads not guilty to 36 counts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The school bus driver accused of overturning a school bus in Nashville was arraigned Wednesday in a Davidson County courtroom. Christina Mathis did not appear in court but had her lawyer appear on her behalf.

Christina Mathis pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of aggravated assault and one count of felony reckless endangerment in the Nov. 18 rollover crash in Nashville.

Investigators say speed was a factor when the 29-year-old hit a guardrail and crashed, injuring 35 of the 48 students on board. Four were critically injured.

Mathis was behind the wheel of one of three Chester County buses heading to a Beta Club convention in at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

Mathis is out of jail on a $50,000 bond, and school officials say she was back behind the wheel in January.

WBBJ checked again after the arraignment, and Mathis is still listed as an employee for the district on the Chester County School Transportation website.

Mathis is set to have a hearing trial on July 13.