The Bus Driver
15 Years Experience
South, ..
Female, 37
I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
Well, it depends on the age of the child and the circumstances. If an object was thrown and it hit another child accidentally, I obviously handle that situation differently. On my bus, unless any visible marks were left by the object on the victim, then I will normally call or speak with the parents of the child who threw the object as well as notify the parents of the victim. In more severe cases where marks were left, I write the children up (both the victim and the offender) because often there is more to the story than just the object being thrown or used against the victim and then I also call the parents of the children to let them know what my course of action is. I also pull the video tape on my bus and review it to see if it was a clear case of victimization or a tit for tat situation. Even in clear cases of victimization - the victim will get written up but a notation will be made that they were the VICTIM and not the offending student. This is so the principal or administrator knows exactly who to talk to over the incident.
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In my district, we are allowed to put children off at two places. 1. that child's regular stop, and 2. at any school within the district up to and including district school board offices and the bus barn itself. As for you spitting gum at somebody, did you consider the ramifications of your actions? First, who is going to clean up the gum, which by now has probably stuck to the seat or to the floor and been walked on? Second, is throwing or spitting something at someone a way to solve a problem? Third, if you are having a problem with somebody, please, feel free to tell the driver so that the driver can make adjustments. That being said, while its NOT illegal, it may be against policy.
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Chances are good if the driver was at fault for the accident, the driver will be arrested and charged with negligence. That is entirely up to the police and investigating officers. Accidents happen and sometimes they are preventable. The real question is whether the driver was at fault or not. Just like anyone else that has been in an accident the person is entitled to a fair trial in accordance with the laws.
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It is a very good possibility that you will be billed with the cost of a replacement seat cover if the existing cover cannot be cleaned. I'm not sure how much those generally run, though a quick search on google revealed that the replacement covers are usually 8 to 15 dollars depending on where the school bus transportation department places their orders. The seat covers are usually ordered to match the interior color of the seats. There may also be an installation or other surcharge for putting the seat cover on the seat as it is a bit of a process in order to ensure that the cover is secure and fits well. That being said, it might be a good idea to discuss with your son the proper way to respect other peoples property. Just like you wouldn't let him draw on the walls at home, he shouldn't draw on the bus seat. I have a soft spot for elementary kids and usually there are cleaners out there that can remove marker stains from the seats. If your son would ride my bus, I would likely ask you if it would be okay if he could clean the seat on which he drew. If the marks still did not come up with a generic cleaner, then I would still praise him for trying to clean up his mess and then get a different cleaner to attempt to clean the marks myself after telling him that sometimes cleaners don't always erase the mistakes we make. Sometimes kids (especially little ones) don't think of their actions before they do it, so I keep that in mind and adjust my approach accordingly.
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Depending on the area in which you live and the desperation of your child to use the bathroom would be the determining factor for whether or not the right decision was made. When possible here, we will make accommodations for a child to use an actual restroom, but sometimes on country routes, there are not bathrooms available readily. If your child was desperate enough to where he could not wait till he got home or risked embarrassment in wetting his pants, the bus driver probably thought it might be easier to just let him off and have him go behind a tree right quick. If you take issue with this, then bring it to the bus drivers attention and talk to the bus supervisors.
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That depends on your district's policy on the matter. In my district as long as they are school age and registered in the school system, the bus drivers can bring their own children on the buses with them. This is also dependent on special circumstances as determined by the boss. Many drivers have children that are very young but also have children that are school age. Often bosses will make the personal call to allow a driver to bring a child that is not registered to the school system on the bus provided the child can behave properly or is properly seat belted or restrained in a manner such as a car seat that will allow the bus driver to still effectively do his or her job while having their children on board. My district also allows drivers to make certain allowances for friends provided it doesn't inconvenience the children on board the bus as a general rule of thumb.
For example, I was allowed to transport my friends three children. My friend lived a block from my bus route and I was allowed to deviate my route by one block to accommodate my friend as approved by my boss. The inconvenience to my bus children was minimal as it meant I only went down one street further up and the time difference was negligible (a matter of 30 seconds to add an additional stop). Did my boss have to make this accommodation? No, but he allowed it because he did not see a reason to deny a favor that I was doing for a friend.
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There are a myriad of reasons why a bus could stop at a gas station. The bus should not be left with students unattended or if the driver has to leave, then the driver should take the keys out of the ignition and secure the bus as though no-one were on it. Sometimes there may have been a sick child and the driver made a judgement call to get the child to a bathroom, or the driver may have been ill him or herself.
Another thing that it may have been would be a sports team which usually leaves at around the same time school lets out. Often, the teams like gas station pit stops before leaving town or while out of town. I'd call the local bus yard and see if that driver is allowed to do that. Each county has its own rules.
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