Who is driving your kids? So lately I have been wondering who I leave my kids in the hands of. Like the school bus. Now I know my district does a a good job of doing background check and working with the bus company to make sure the individuals who are driving the bus are not predators and criminals.
But I cant stand the start of school such Bus anxiety for parents students and drivers.
This week I have heard the following stories:
Problems:
A 5 grader new to the district got off at the wrong stop, she missed her stop, it was Tues. The girl stood outside in the rain and wait for her mom to pick her up 2 hours later because she did not know where she was. The little girl could have went to someones home but with stranger danger, she did not. My son said she was really nice. Shouldn’t the bus driver should have been aware who was getting on and off- training?
This morning I ended up driving my son friend to school mom works.. because the bus did not show up to pick him up.
Our sons bus came 15 minutes early to pick up the kids because he was driving by and saw them standing out if I was not early we would have missed the bus.. Why do they have a bus schedule?
Positive:
But on the flip side I was very happy with our bus driver and how a bully situation was handled on he bus this week. He actually pulled over the bus. Parents also backed him up- Great Job
I realize being a bus driver is one of the hardest jobs. Because you are transporting many kids with many personality. It is a lot to juggle while operating a large vehicle. There primary concern is getting kids home safely.
How do you deal with bus issues?
We had major issues on the first day-my daughter got off the bus crying & telling us she thought she would never get home! Drama removed & everything looked at, the bus route (AND driver) they’ve had for the past 3 years was drastically changed so the older kids thought the driver didn’t know where he was going! They told him how to get to their homes a few times, but he didn’t say a word to them and some kids got off at the wrong stops because they were so concerned about him gettin them home…to top it off he was screaming & honking at cars. The bus driver should have introduced himself to the kids and when he saw/heard they were agitated could/should have told them he would get them home. It was crazy & now has calmed down. We called the transportation department & the school principal to complain about how the situation was handled & hopefully they learn from it!
My son once had a substitute bus driver who was so mean that kids were getting off way before their stops and walking the rest of the way. We discussed how to handle situations like that in the future, but luckily it never happened again. I did call the bus company that day though, to tell them that this particular driver should never have a route for elementary school if he were going to behave like that.
I also heard a story this week where the bus driver had a route of kindergartners that was well over and hour long and had all of the windows on the bus closed. It was 90 degrees. My friend’s son was the last one off. He was dripping wet from sweat and dehydrated. She is driving him home herself for the rest of the year.
New to your blog, and we aren’t bus-age yet, but I have often thought about such issues–I remember them from when I was growing up. This makes me just want to drive my kids to school if I’m able…!
I think if a child is bulling another they should be put off the bus for a month and let the parents transport them. Cutting into the parents time I am sure will straighten things out.