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Board of Education responsibility

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R

renmark60

Guest
What is the name of your state? Michigan.
Like everyone at the start of school, we've had our share of school bus problems (late arrivals and pick-ups, disregard of speed limits). However on 8/29 our driver pulled away from our stop before 1/2 of the 16 kids that got on had a chance to sit down (most of them hit the floor) when she returned that afternoon 1 mom tried to talk to her about it, after 1st denying it happened , 4 other parents stepped up immediately and said.. no, we saw you. The driver then said "it's perfectly legal for me to be moving while the kids are standing". Needless to say we were shocked and immediately went in and called the transportation center (switched to voice mail because 'they're to busy to answer the phones' we're told). I left the above message verbatim with my name and number and asking for clarification. No answer, called again 9/3, still no reply (have learned since that this happened at another stop in our sub and that several others have sent emails and faxes).
Our next problem resulted when 2 moms tried to talk with her about something she said to the kids the day before. We stepped onto the 1st step and said "can we talk to you", she started yelling to "get off the bus" "no parents are allowed on the bus", so we turned around and got of the bus and said to each other "I guess we're going downtown". We waited for the bus to leave (along with the 10 other parents that are out there every morning), but what happened was quite different. The driver pulled up 10 ft and over to the curb and stopped. We waited a minute and it didn't move so 2 parents went over to see if everything was o.k., the driver refused to talk to anyone (deliberately turned from view when she was spoken to, would not acknowledge anyones presence).. imagine our surprise when 3 police cars and a sherriff's deputy pull up and 1 officer asks us, "what's going on", we reply.."have no idea, she won't talk to us". Then 3 transportation employees arrive... 1 gets on the bus (supposedly to 'count heads") but she singles out the 5th graders asks them if they "know why the bus is surrounded by police". They say no and she replies, "its because your parents are trying to take over the bus and drive it" (not only were the windows open so you could hear it, the 5th graders are very smart and can tell you just about everything that goes on). The other 2 are telling us the bus went into "lockdown" because parents stepped onto the bus and we have to do a full investigation (never mind that for the past 2 yrs with our previous driver we had been on the bus all the time, or that we have never recieved 1 piece of info from the transportation dept about any "rules or regulations). Of course I wasn't to happy when 1 of the transportation employees pointed to me and said "that parent could have a gun" (but I remained calm, thanks to 20 yrs as an L&D nurse), about then the officer decided that if parents wanted their kids off the bus they could get them (despite the trans. emp. stating, "once they're on the bus they can't come off until they're at school"). Our principal rode the bus (she arrived sometime during this) to school then with the kids and driver. The principal asked the driver if we got off when she told us to and she replied "yes".
The best part is that less than 24 hrs later the same driver at the stop before ours asked a parent to come onto the bus and solve a seating dispute between 2 children that were not hers. The mom exits the bus , the driver drives off with no police in site. Needless to say I was on the phone in a minute calling the transportation office and the administration office asking for answers regarding their "rules and regulations".
The reason I'm writing is to ask how can we get answers... we finally did have a mtg with the Superintendent of Transportation, his answer for all our questions was "I'm not prepared to answer that at this time", so we went before the Board of Education at the public mtg on 9/23 and still no answers. I did exercise my right under the FOIA and got a copy of the Bus Drivers Handbook, which shows that the driver did not abide by some of the "policies" stated, and did not have the authority to do some of the things she has.
I'd appreciate any further direction we should take. Thank you.
 


T

teague2

Guest
From what you wrote, I'd say that you would be better off requesting a new bus driver for your child's bus. If that doesn't work I'd call a local news station and get them involved -- they love these types of stories and it is guaranteed to get results faster than anything else.

What did the police/principal say when they got there?

Lisa
 

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