Driving a school bus... [Archive]

Moonliner

08-24-2006, 01:59 PM

It's the start of the school year and you are driving the bus for your local elementary school.

The mother of two younger students asks if her kids can sit at the front due to their age.

You ask some of the other kids already on the bus if they would move to the back to let the young kids sit up front.

Are you a monster?

Ghoulish Delight

08-24-2006, 02:02 PM

Hmm, so where are you reading that version of the story? Because all the versions I've read have the driver making 9 black children squeeze into 2 seats in the back of the bus.

ETA: OKay, I found one article referencing the request for young children to sit up front...but that doesn't explain why 9 children (including younger ones) were sharing 2 seats in the back, assuming that bit is accurate.

Ponine

08-24-2006, 02:09 PM

Having BEEN that driver, no, i dont think so.
(obviously there's a news bit here that I dont know about, but I'll ignore that for a moment)

Usually, the rows right by the driver were for kids that already knew me. No kids volunteered to sit in that row if we werent already aquainted.

Would I ask them to move so that the new kids could make their mother happy? Absolutely.
But I also liked to have the kids on the other side of the bus.
Meaning, if I had a small route, I'd keep all kids on the "passenger" side. They were easier to keep track of that way.
Younger kids weren't always visible over the seat back ahead of them.

Ok, so that said.... since I saw GD's post as I was typing... where's the news story? It obviously involves race.

Moonliner

08-24-2006, 02:09 PM

all the versions I've read have the driver making 9 black children squeeze into 2 seats in the back of the bus.

It does make you wonder how big of a bus we are talking about... Why would they have to share seats? Is the bus overcrowded to begin with? If so was it wrong of the driver to "make" the kids from the same family share a seat rather than kids from different families?

Ponie... Link. (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824/NEWS01/608240332/1002/NEWS)

Ghoulish Delight

08-24-2006, 02:10 PM

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824/NEWS01/608240332/1002/NEWS

katiesue

08-24-2006, 02:17 PM

If 9 kids have to squish into two seats how many kids are on the bus to start with? Disregarding the race issue isn't that unsafe?

Ghoulish Delight

08-24-2006, 02:21 PM

If 9 kids have to squish into two seats how many kids are on the bus to start with? Disregarding the race issue isn't that unsafe?
Yeah, it does kinda beg the question of how why there are 7 more butts than seats. But considering everyone's tone, I'm running on the conclusion that that bit seems to be accepted practice (i.e., everyone's well aware of the problem of school-bus overcrowding) 'cause no one's bringing that up. So that brings things back to why, in an assigned seating situation, were these 9 kids the ones assigned to sit on laps.

Stan4dSteph

08-24-2006, 02:26 PM

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round, all over town.

Moonliner

08-24-2006, 02:31 PM

Yeah, it does kinda beg the question of how why there are 7 more butts than seats. But considering everyone's tone, I'm running on the conclusion that that bit seems to be accepted practice (i.e., everyone's well aware of the problem of school-bus overcrowding) 'cause no one's bringing that up. So that brings things back to why, in an assigned seating situation, were these 9 kids the ones assigned to sit on laps.

Because they are all from the same family and know each other? Plus they are a good mix of ages, some older some younger.

Or it could be because they are black and the driver is racist but as far as I can tell no-one is even considering the first option.

Ghoulish Delight

08-24-2006, 02:50 PM

Because they are all from the same family and know each other? Plus they are a good mix of ages, some older some younger.

Or it could be because they are black and the driver is racist but as far as I can tell no-one is even considering the first option.
Yup, the fisrt option is very possible. And, in all honesty, that's what I suspect is the case. But, intended or not, and as lame as it is that this is true, you gotta be an idiot to "send the black kids to the back of the bus". I mean, If it turns out it really was just a case of the bus driver making some accomodations, she isn't disciplined, per se. But it was at best an unwise choice and certainly at this point, transferring her route to avoid the firestorm is the minimally necessary action.

sleepyjeff

08-24-2006, 03:01 PM

Yeah, it does kinda beg the question of how why there are 7 more butts than seats. But considering everyone's tone, I'm running on the conclusion that that bit seems to be accepted practice (i.e., everyone's well aware of the problem of school-bus overcrowding) 'cause no one's bringing that up. So that brings things back to why, in an assigned seating situation, were these 9 kids the ones assigned to sit on laps.

I think it isn't 9 kids "two" individual seats but 9 kids two seats that are supposed to seat 2 kids a piece...ie. 9 kids into 4 seats; or 5 more butts than seats.

It is done all the time here in Portland. My kids bus takes close to 60 kids home every afternoon with only 20 seats(desgined to seat 40).

Ponine

08-24-2006, 03:22 PM

I'm very interested now.
The smallest bus I ever drove was what we fondly called a "bread box"
and it had... six seats

four facing the normal way that you expect, the the very first two facing inside like what I see as typical public transit.
I was taught that an average school bus seat could hold up to three elementary children.
(In fact, as a parent, have rode the bus with two elementary children sharing the bench with them.)

And as high schooler you could get three on a bench if you wanted to be cozy. Four if you were all thin. But you were very cozy.

Nine in the last two seats... one long seat? Did the children not want to be separated?
Maybe the youngers didnt want to leave the olders?

As I said, I'm very curious now.

Tramspotter

08-24-2006, 06:05 PM

Were the kids who sat up front

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/Laurie911/special_ed_article.jpg
?

€uroMeinke

08-24-2006, 11:35 PM

Moonliner

08-25-2006, 08:51 AM

Interesting...

Here is another story...

The government has left "Evolution Biology" off of a list (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/171252)of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant.

Officials claim it was an accident. Yeah right, sure it was.

So it looks like, personally I'm willing to give a faceless bus driver the benefit of the doubt, but I've already convicted the evil bureaucrats in my mind.

Morrigoon

08-25-2006, 10:16 AM

I always thought the 3 high schoolers to a seat thing was a load of crap. Even in jr. high when they expected it on a field trip, some poor bugger was one-bunning it.

2 kids to a seat. Period.

CoasterMatt

08-25-2006, 10:34 AM

With proper ankle restraints, you can get 4 to a seat

CoasterMatt

08-25-2006, 11:15 AM

Urban Dictionary has some fun things to say about "school bus drivers" (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=school+bus+driver) too :)

DisneyFan25863

08-25-2006, 04:37 PM

Tightest I've ever gone is 4 to a seat in freshmen year. That was painful.

When I rode the bus in Jr. High, the bus driver would ignore if you tried to sit by him/talk to him. Of course, this was the same guy who would, halfway through the trip home, turn BACK to the school if he thought it was too loud in the bus (which was, apparently, anything louder than a whisper).

Plus the bus always broke down. It sucked.

Ponine

08-25-2006, 04:41 PM

When I rode the bus in Jr. High, the bus driver would ignore if you tried to sit by him/talk to him. Of course, this was the same guy who would, halfway through the trip home, turn BACK to the school if he thought it was too loud in the bus (which was, apparently, anything louder than a whisper).

I pulled over to the side of the road if it was too loud.

if the bus was a tolerable noise level the kids could have the radio station they wanted.
They got loud, they got classical.
They got too loud, they got a bus driver that sat on the side of the road.

On the other hand, I did talk to my kids. ;)

DisneyFan25863

08-25-2006, 04:53 PM

I pulled over to the side of the road if it was too loud.

if the bus was a tolerable noise level the kids could have the radio station they wanted.
They got loud, they got classical.
They got too loud, they got a bus driver that sat on the side of the road.

On the other hand, I did talk to my kids. ;)

Yeah, I understand the pulling over (been on a few bus rides where they have done that), but this guy was just insane. He would freak out over EVERYTHING.

Capt Jack

08-25-2006, 04:58 PM

sounds like the bus driver from south park.

DisneyFan25863

08-25-2006, 10:51 PM

sounds like the bus driver from south park.

If he wasn't an old fat guy, he have been.

Ponine

08-28-2006, 09:15 AM

Yeah, I understand the pulling over (been on a few bus rides where they have done that), but this guy was just insane. He would freak out over EVERYTHING.
That was the up side of starting to be a school bus driver at the ripe old age of 20.
And a down side too...

I didnt freak out nearly as much.