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Admin
Administrator
USA
1662 Posts |
 Posted - 01/06/2005 : 11:13:50 AM
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AMERICAN FORK, Utah — A 5-year-old autistic boy was left alone on a school bus Tuesday morning after an Alpine School District bus driver and driver’s aide failed to perform a thorough post-trip inspection.
It was not known that the boy was missing until around 12:30 p.m., when the boy’s sitter called the mother after the child did not disembark from the school bus at her house. The boy’s mother, who had put her son on the bus at 8:45 a.m., called the police.
According to www.harktheherald.com, police officers searched for about a half-hour before finding the boy sitting on the empty bus, which was parked inside the bus garage. The boy was in good health.
School policy requires both the bus driver and driver’s aide to check every seat to make sure no child is left on the bus. The school’s human resources department will decide whether any disciplinary action will be taken against the driver and aide once an investigation is completed.
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Sandra (Ennis) Nunn
Top Member
Canada
1180 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2005 : 05:13:15 AM
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(NOTE - Buses with drivers and driver's aides were involved in these situations.)
The Daily Herald - Saturday, January 08, 2005
Investigation will probe cases of kids left on buses
The Utah County Sheriff's Office is launching an investigation into incidents in which special needs children were left alone on Alpine School District buses.
Five-year-old Brandon Strain, an autistic boy from Pleasant Grove, was left alone on an empty school bus for more than four hours Tuesday, and police took notice after discovering it was not a lone incident.
There have been a total of three special needs children left alone on buses in the past 14 months and four in the past five years.
"The detectives will be looking to see if it rises to the level of being criminal in nature," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon on Friday.
Detectives will likely interview the parents involved and possibly several people at the Alpine School District to see if there was any criminal negligence. The investigation could take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, Cannon said.
Every special needs bus has both a driver and driver's aide who are supposed to check the seats to make sure all children have gotten off the bus. If they do not follow procedures, they could be fired. Strain was reported missing by his baby sitter Tuesday after he didn't arrive home from his Highland school. Police later found Strain alone on a bus at the district's bus depot south of American Fork.
After Cannon realized Strain was not the first to be left on a bus, he felt it was suspicious enough to warrant an investigation. While the police are looking into the incidents, Cannon said it could be a situation that only needs to be handled at the district level rather than a criminal level, but it's better to be safe.
"It's the old adage: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," he said. "It could happen once and it's an unfortunate incident. But the second time, maybe there is something more that could have been done."
http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=44650&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
 http://www.rememberallyceea.com
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4544 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2005 : 10:43:13 AM
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Three in fourteen months huh? I think it's time to lay down the law and hold the appropriate people accountable.
Unexcusable. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2005 : 11:23:17 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomasbus24
Three in fourteen months huh? I think it's time to lay down the law and hold the appropriate people accountable.
Unexcusable.
There are at least a dozen of these incidents each school day in this country that are newsworthy enough to make it to the press. A great many involve Head Start, daycare vans and SPEC-ED mini buses, not the big buses. And many involve at least one monitor on-board the bus. A child left on the bus more than thirty minutes or so expands the issue and consequences from the driver to include school staff responsible to back-up children's safety on the buses. However, very rarely is any action taken against a teacher or other staff that failed to take attendance, even though that failure significantly escalates the risk to the missing child's safety. Termination does not happen because the driver failed to do a post check. Were that the case only a few fleets would remain operating in this country. Termination, when it happens, is for leaving a sleeping child behind on the bus. I happen to believe that termination is usually inappropriate and too often a political/emotional response to the issue. The real issue that must be solved are failures to do post checks at every school and at the end of every route back at the bus parking area, as well as establishing back-up support that actually works. (jk)
Click Here to find out The #1 reason school bus drivers quit |
Edited by - JK on 01/08/2005 11:28:02 AM |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4544 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2005 : 2:43:28 PM
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| I have often wondered how many of these incidents occur that we never hear about. |
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coolbusdriver
Top Member
Canada
1509 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2005 : 4:48:13 PM
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| what puzzles me is how a driver and an aide could leave a special needs child on a mini bus. 2 adults, 1 small bus. I have driven a small bus for 4 years now with special needs kids. It is so easy to know each one by name and habits, how could you miss not seeing them get off the bus? |
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Sandra (Ennis) Nunn
Top Member
Canada
1180 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 04:49:49 AM
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Monday, January 10, 2005 - The Associated Press
Bus editorial
If any parent had left a child alone in a vehicle for four hours, there's a good chance he or she would be arrested for criminal negligence.
In the past 14 months, three special needs children have been left on Alpine School District buses. The most recent incident happened Tuesday, when a 5-year-old autistic boy was left alone on a school bus for more than four hours.
Some seem content to deal with the problem by disciplining or firing a bus driver -- which is at least a couple of orders of magnitude below what a parent might expect in similar circumstances. Official opinion at the district appears to hold that nobody meant to do any harm, so bringing in the police is really unnecessary.
Even Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff's Office last week indicated that such incidents should be dealt with by the district rather than in the courts. It would be hard to make a case for negligence because you would have to prove somebody purposely didn't take "due care in protecting the safety of a person," he said.
Cannon has since undertaken a criminal investigation into the incidents, which show a pattern of negligence. Detectives will likely interview the parents involved and possibly several people at the Alpine School District to see if the negligence was criminal.
"It's the old adage: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," Cannon said. "It could happen once and it's an unfortunate incident. But the second time, maybe there is something more that could have been done."
Angi Harris of Pleasant Grove, whose son Ian was left on a bus and didn't make it to school in November 2003, said she had received reassurances that Alpine School District would implement a policy to make sure all buses were checked after the children were supposed to get off. * Belliston, the district's director of transportation, said the Harris incident was what prompted him to write a memo to bus drivers and aides directing them to check their buses. He wrote another memo in October 2004, warning drivers that they could be fired for missing a kid.
But are memos enough? Tuesday's incident represents the fourth incident in five years, all at different schools. Lucky for the school district, no parent is pursuing legal action. But maybe someone should. When you turn over custody of your child by force of law to a school district (read government), you should expect at least the same level of awareness and care that would be provided to that child yourself.
So far, no child has been physically hurt or killed because of bus negligence, but there has been a close call. A 4-year-old child with diabetes was left on a bus in June and was discovered only after the bus was parked at the bus depot. Fortunately he was found before any diabetes-related problems arose, but the story could have easily ended in tragedy.
While these incidents are rare -- thousands of children are transported every day by school buses without incident -- they shouldn't have happened at all. The buses for special needs children have two district employees on board -- a driver plus a technician who is responsible for ensuring the young passengers get on and off safely. It's a pretty basic job, to say the least.
Alpine district transportation policy states that any bus driver or technician who leaves a child on a bus could lose his job. Given the potential for serious injury or death from such negligence, mere firing seems like a slap on the wrist.
Those who are responsible are horrified when something like this happens. But so is a parent whose child dies of exposure or dehydration after being left for a long time in a vehicle. The horror doesn't change the negligence.
School bus drivers and technicians should face criminal investigation and endure the consequences of their irresponsible actions -- perhaps even more than a parent, since most parents have a filial affection for their children that's beyond doubt. With a bus driver, it's only a job. People who are hired and trained to transport children should easily be able to ensure that their charges get to where they're going. Responsibility demands accountability.
At the very least, bus drivers should be held to the same standard as a parent. Because they're professionals, however, the standard should probably be more strict and punishment more severe.
School bus drivers are charged with carrying the most precious cargo on the road. The vast majority of them do this job well, and with a degree of concern for their passengers. Those who are careless not only endanger children but dishonor their colleagues.
http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=44830&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
http://www.rememberallyceea.com
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 06:01:48 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Sandra (Ennis) Nunn
Monday, January 10, 2005 - The Associated Press
Bus editorial
If any parent had left a child alone in a vehicle for four hours, there's a good chance he or she would be arrested for criminal negligence. ...
I'm not convinced a parent should be charged with criminal negligence unless intent can be proven or an injury of consequence occurs. Parents screw-up in all sorts of ways with their kids. Should a parent be charged with a crime for not being at the bus stop to receive their child? In any case the parent is seldom fired from raising any more kids. Information on how dangerous both kinds of events is usually appropriate for a parent. A bus driver may have a somewhat greater charge and for that reason support unpaid suspension for a period of time and where an injury of consequence or a death did not occur.
I've been attempting to find an alert sent to transportation providers from the NHTSA concerning this issue. If anyone has seen one it would be nice to have a link. (jk)
Death at the school bus stop booklet (PDF format) |
Edited by - JK on 01/10/2005 08:54:06 AM |
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busdrver4jesus
Top Member
USA
802 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 07:39:52 AM
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No matter whose fault it is that a child is left alone on a school bus, the fact remains that it is happening too much. Once, in my book, is too much!
Yes, I do agree that the bus driver alone should not be put on the chopping block. It is the teacher and school's responsibility to check attendance and notify the parent that the child is not a school. However, whether we want to face it or not, the incident will automatically fall upon the driver.
The driver is responsible for checking that vehicle upon completion of their routes - PERIOD! There should be no reason why the school bus is not checked, especially, in the case where there is an aide/monitor. Much more emphasis should be placed on training with the importance of post-checking the bus.
I think it should be drilled into the heads of bus drivers at every meeting - on every memo - on Christmas cards - on Birthday cards - whatever it takes to make drivers aware that checking that bus is MORE important than getting off of the bus.
We ALL have days that we are ready to exit that bus - but the thought that a child may be left alone should over power that thought for 45 seconds it takes to walk the bus and check for sleeping passengers.
I urge all TD's to train your drivers - retrain your driver - say "CHECK YOUR BUS" so much that they hate to see you coming! |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 09:10:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by busdrver4jesus
No matter whose fault it is that a child is left alone on a school bus, the fact remains that it is happening too much. Once, in my book, is too much!
Yes, I do agree that the bus driver alone should not be put on the chopping block. It is the teacher and school's responsibility to check attendance and notify the parent that the child is not a school. However, whether we want to face it or not, the incident will automatically fall upon the driver.
Full responsibility for what happened doesn't always automatically fall on the driver. Plenty of these events include statements from officials stating, "We made a mistake." However, termination, when it happens, seldom goes beyond the bus, a contradiction in the reasoning for automatically terminating the bus driver and bus monitor when the child's time alone on the bus exceeds thirty minutes or so.
The real issue that must be solved are failures to do post checks at every school and at the end of every route back at the bus parking area, as well as establishing back-up support that actually works. (jk)
Death at the school bus stop booklet (PDF format) |
Edited by - JK on 01/10/2005 09:13:22 AM |
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Autistic child left alone on bus for hours
