Yet another school bus driver is caught on camera abusing a student with disabilities. Please I am in no way painting all bus drivers as abusive. It is a hard and thankless job. However, we had numerous reports of school bus drivers abusing children physically or verbally. Additionally, we have had numerous reports of children, especially children with disabilities being left on the bus.
This should be an indication of a pattern. School bus drivers need to be better screened, trained and monitored. Our children, no matter what their ability or lack of ability, should be safe on the school bus.
Just as School is Not Supposed to Hurt – Riding the Short Bus is Not Supposed to Hurt.
The short bus, of course, is the bus for the children with special needs. They are not allowed, in most school districts, to ride the regular school bus. I actually remember the principal of an elementary school saying that she did not want “Those kids mixing with the normal students.”
This is an attitude that most find offensive. It is also an attitude that most parents probably believe does not exist. I can tell you that it does exist. Our children; those who ride the short bus; those who have disabilities; those with special needs; are routinely segregated.
Most parents believe that their special needs children are better protected on the short bus. They believe that their special needs children will be safer on the short bus.
Take a look at this video and you will see that they are not safer. You will see that children with disabilities who ride the short bus are vulnerable.
They are vulnerable because the employees who are entrusted with protecting our children do not do their job. They claim they are stressed or over worked. Join the club. Ask the mother or father of a child with special needs how hard it is to parent them. If anyone should be burned our, stressed or over worked, it is the parents.
School is Not Supposed to Hurt – Riding the Short Bus is Not Supposed to Hurt. But hurt is does.
Keep squeaking those wheels – you do not have to take it anymore.
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