A Coaldale woman who is accused of slamming on the brakes of a school bus she was driving in March, injuring Panther Valley Middle School students, has been charged with 24 counts each of recklessly endangering persons and endangering the welfare of children, and eight counts of simple assault.

Rebecca J. Nicholas, 43, of 113 Greenwood St., will be mailed a summons to appear on the charges, which are all misdemeanors, said Summit Hill Police Chief Joseph Fittos.He filed the charges Wednesday with District Judge Casimir Kosciolek of Lansford.Contacted by telephone early Thursday, Nicholas said she didn't know charges had been filed, and declined to comment.The school board hired Nicholas as a bus driver in September 2012.Fittos said Nicholas was driving Kistler Transportation bus 13 when she picked up students at the bus stop at the corner of Ludlow and Walnut streets at about 8 a.m. on March 12.As she pulled out, heading east, the bus monitor was talking to the students. the students were noisy and not paying attention. They were asked to quiet down, but would not.Nicholas "forcefully applied the brakes," causing students to be thrown against the backs of the seats in front of them, injuring them.The students reported the incident upon their arrival at school. A school nurse examined them, and 17 students reported that they had bumped their heads or faces on seats, one hit a window and another had scrapes on an elbow and another had a bruised cheek.The students were sent home and their parents called. Fittos said parents called police to report the incident. police interviewed students, their parents, and Nicholas before filing the charges.Nicholas was immediately barred from driving for the district.