Connecting moms in Polk County, Fla.
About that bus crash the other day...
Teachers have 15 to 25 in a class. Leaving one single adult in charge of 46 children is nonsense enough - but not only that, this adult has to drive a bus too? It seems it's high time the school board invests in a second adult on the busses... Whose sole job will be to watch over the kids.
Looking at the photos of that crash, had a child been sitting in the back seat of the green Saturn (car the bus hit) the child could have died.
It's no wonder that the bus driver I see every day from car line sprints across the street before dismissal to smoke. He probably needs to prepare for the long afternoon!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Allyson Page on
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I absolutely agree with you on ALL accounts.
I work at a school and I find it amusing to see about 4 or 5 of the bus drivers standing across the street from the school having their daily smoke
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Permalink Reply by Tracy Fritchman on -
The 12 years I went to school and rode a school bus we never had more then one adult on the bus. It was only the driver. Never recall there being any bus accidents. Maybe kids need to learn to sit still and be quiet on the bus and you would not need a extra person. I see it all the time driving behind a bus and kids are moving from seat to seat, standing up, leaning over seats. The driver would be less distracted if kids would behave. Not saying all kids don't behave but if there is even one getting up and moving the driver could get distracted from the roadway. Also, am not blaming the kids for the accident because I was not there and do not know what really happened.
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Permalink Reply by MandyJay on -
But... the kids don't behave. In large groups, in this time, they just don't. So until there's some massive societal change, I think another adult is needed on the busses.
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Permalink Reply by Devon Osborne on -
My kids go to Carlton Palmore and their bus has had two adults on it for the past three years they've been riding. I think they need to have more than one adult too, but I do agree with Tracy that the kids need to act better. Also, my stepdaughter rides a bus in Hillsborough county and they have two adults too.
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Permalink Reply by norma on
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If parents raised kids to behave...they would. I guarentee that if we had done the things that go on now with the high disrespect kids show adults, our parents would have taken care of it and we would have been respectful if not comfortable SITTING still on the bus....
MandyJay said:But... the kids don't behave. In large groups, in this time, they just don't. So until there's some massive societal change, I think another adult is needed on the busses.
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Permalink Reply by MandyJay on
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I don't disagree with you. And if my children rode the bus you can bet your bottom dollar that THEIR bottoms would be firmly planted in their seats and there'd be no hollering or there would be Very Severe Consequences at home.
My point is that these bus drivers' jobs and the children on the bus aren't made any safer by discussing "if only" scenarios. The situation is what it is; and what it IS, is that kids today as a group (not individuals) are NOT as pliant and outwardly obedient as they were forty years ago when I was small. Another adult on the bus would let the driver do the job of driving and getting our community's children safely from school to home and vice versa without the added danger and difficulty of ridiculous numbers of children only being supervised by a distracted pair of eyes in a rearview mirror.
norma said:
If parents raised kids to behave...they would. I guarentee that if we had done the things that go on now with the high disrespect kids show adults, our parents would have taken care of it and we would have been respectful if not comfortable SITTING still on the bus....
MandyJay said:But... the kids don't behave. In large groups, in this time, they just don't. So until there's some massive societal change, I think another adult is needed on the busses.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa Williams on
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My dad is a bus driver, and he has told me some stories. Here is the thing though, he can not do much by way of discipline other than written up, because if you say anything the kids twist and turn it around. If he were to do anything that the kids think is incorrect they are on their cell phones calling mom or school board with their version of what is happening on the bus. I for sure agree each bus should have an attendant, the driver needs to have his eyes on the road, obviously!!! But ya know they cut the media specialist out so I am sure they would not justify attendants.
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Right there with you Melissa. Since they cut out our media specialist from the school I work out, our poor Para has been working her fingers to the bone to take her place. She is a PARA, not a librarian. We are very good friends and she tells me about the amount of work she does and it is just unreal for what she gets paid. Her contract time is from 7:30-3:00 and she works on a normal day from 7:00-5pm daily. Sorry when yu mentioned the media specialist thing the anger of it came back. How can you expect a para to do a librarians job and still get paid para salary? UGH
Melissa Williams said:My dad is a bus driver, and he has told me some stories. Here is the thing though, he can not do much by way of discipline other than written up, because if you say anything the kids twist and turn it around. If he were to do anything that the kids think is incorrect they are on their cell phones calling mom or school board with their version of what is happening on the bus. I for sure agree each bus should have an attendant, the driver needs to have his eyes on the road, obviously!!! But ya know they cut the media specialist out so I am sure they would not justify attendants.
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Permalink Reply by Kay Moyer on
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I drove a Polk County school bus for 16 years. I can appreciate this driver's situation, haveing to watch the children behind him and traffic in front of him. .At the beginning of one school year I had a grandfather step up on my bus the very first day, to tell me “NOT” to ever write his grandson up for bad behavior. I was taken back to say the least. While taking this situation in and thinking how to reply, he continued.. He said I was to tell him of any bad conduct, and that he “WOULD” take care of the matter. I reached out and shook his hand, and told him “You Got It”. 2 times that year I had to talk to the grandfather, usually all I had to do was to ask the child if he wanted me to talk to him, I made a point to contact parents first, and all but 1 parent I got coroperation. This shows family respect.
All in all most children are respectful, even the middle school ones. However they are a challenge. 7th and 8th grades are very difficult for children. They are questioning rules, which is natural. Their hormones are really kicking in, and they feel insecure and want to be recognized. They are very susceptible to peer pressure.. If you as parents make a point to speak to your bus driver, and let them know that you recognize the driver is in charge at ALL times, do this in front of your child, and request the driver to contact you to solve the problem rather than turn it into school. Then you do what you have to do to correct the matter. This action will save the child’s record in school, and more important let the child KNOW that you as a parent is going to back the driver who is responsible for all the children’s safety.
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