Scary school bus incident and safety petition

[Anonymous]

I am sorry but what exactly do you want them to do? The incident happened, crazy stuff happens and it was handled and cleared by fire fighters. What proof, besides the kids, that the bus was used again? How do you know the bus was not inspected and given the clear to use? I am all for rallying for change but sometimes the rallying is so pointless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Westland but doesn't use that bus.

WHY DIDN'T THE PRINCIPAL SEND OUT A LETTER TO THE FAMILIES?!?!

This is something families should know.
Thank you, OP, for informing us.

Extremly sorry to hear to families of this bus and sincerely hope students and the bus driver are okay. ALL families with kids riding a bus should be livid and concerned hearing this.

Let's guess why communication wasn't send out...
A. Optics
B. Central office has yet to approve of any communication that the Principal can send out to families.
C. Optics
D. All of the above

The electinos are in a week. BOE members are on the ballot. Time to make your voice heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry but what exactly do you want them to do? The incident happened, crazy stuff happens and it was handled and cleared by fire fighters. What proof, besides the kids, that the bus was used again? How do you know the bus was not inspected and given the clear to use? I am all for rallying for change but sometimes the rallying is so pointless.

Hose 'em off. Send 'em to class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry but what exactly do you want them to do? The incident happened, crazy stuff happens and it was handled and cleared by fire fighters. What proof, besides the kids, that the bus was used again? How do you know the bus was not inspected and given the clear to use? I am all for rallying for change but sometimes the rallying is so pointless.

Hose 'em off. Send 'em to class.

Antifreeze is lethal if a small quantity is swallowed. The students and their bags and lunch boxes were doused in the stuff.
They had a narrow escape.

The problem is that MCPS has not expressed the understanding that this could have been fatal, and they have not come up with a plan to avoid this in the future. Antifreeze in non-fatal doses is toxic, so MCPS should not have let this bus circulate for afternoon dropoff/pickup, since students report the seats were still sticky. It was not washed off properly.

If your kid had died, you'd be singing a different tune.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry but what exactly do you want them to do? The incident happened, crazy stuff happens and it was handled and cleared by fire fighters. What proof, besides the kids, that the bus was used again? How do you know the bus was not inspected and given the clear to use? I am all for rallying for change but sometimes the rallying is so pointless.

COMMUNICATE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Communication is absolutely a Principal thing, regardless if you think "she is great."

My 8th grader is at Westland and we've always found Ms Serino responsive to incidents *that we already knew had happened*, such as the sprinkler system flood last year. But this is a MAJOR communication faux-pas on her part.

Perhaps she is not aware of the dangers of anti-freeze, does not imagine the quantity that exploded inside the bus, or thinks that the risk/injury, however concerning, does not warrant a school-wide response if it only affects a subset of students, not on school grounds.

In all three things, she is WRONG, because the issue at hand is:
1. She needs to push MCPS for a Transportation response.
2. She needs to do her job and inform all Westland families of a problem that could have happened to any of the students. Any bus, if poorly-maintained, could have had this happen. She needs to do the crucial PR101 and simultaneously reassure and provide more info (or promise she will push for info, then update a week later on the info she has received from Transportation).

This is basic "How to be the Head of an Organization", chapter "Heading off Pitchforks".

[Anonymous]

Does Westland have an active listserve that parents can post on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just bringing to everyone's attention this new school bus safety petition after a frightening incident last week.

https://www.change.org/p/ensuring-school-bus-safety-in-montgomery-county

From the petition:
"On Friday May 3rd, 2024, students at Westland Middle School riding bus 1113 were subjected to a terrifying, traumatizing and nearly disastrous safety situation.
The engine in the rear of the bus malfunctioned causing eight gallons of highly pressurized antifreeze to be poured and aerosolized around the entire cabin, saturating everyone's clothing, backpacks, and contacting skin and eyes.

The main ingredient of antifreeze, ethylene glycol, is a toxic alcohol. It can cause chemical burns and can cause kidney failure and death if as little as two teaspoons are swallowed.
Firefighters used a low pressure fire hose to decontaminate all of the kids.

Furthermore, the same bus was utilized for transportation in the afternoon-- despite children reporting a smell on the bus, and seats and floors that were still wet and sticky."

OP: can you post the bus number of the bus that was used for route 1113 on Friday and Monday (and today if they are STILL using that bus)? Thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communication is absolutely a Principal thing, regardless if you think "she is great."

My 8th grader is at Westland and we've always found Ms Serino responsive to incidents *that we already knew had happened*, such as the sprinkler system flood last year. But this is a MAJOR communication faux-pas on her part.

Perhaps she is not aware of the dangers of anti-freeze, does not imagine the quantity that exploded inside the bus, or thinks that the risk/injury, however concerning, does not warrant a school-wide response if it only affects a subset of students, not on school grounds.

In all three things, she is WRONG, because the issue at hand is:
1. She needs to push MCPS for a Transportation response.
2. She needs to do her job and inform all Westland families of a problem that could have happened to any of the students. Any bus, if poorly-maintained, could have had this happen. She needs to do the crucial PR101 and simultaneously reassure and provide more info (or promise she will push for info, then update a week later on the info she has received from Transportation).

This is basic "How to be the Head of an Organization", chapter "Heading off Pitchforks".

Agreed, wrong not to send out any communication. What if she has been told by Central office not to send anything even if she wants to pending an investigation?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely disgusted at MCPS, BOE, County Council

[Anonymous]

With the number of lawyers in MoCo, one has bound to be a parent of a student that rode that bus that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communication is absolutely a Principal thing, regardless if you think "she is great."

My 8th grader is at Westland and we've always found Ms Serino responsive to incidents *that we already knew had happened*, such as the sprinkler system flood last year. But this is a MAJOR communication faux-pas on her part.

Perhaps she is not aware of the dangers of anti-freeze, does not imagine the quantity that exploded inside the bus, or thinks that the risk/injury, however concerning, does not warrant a school-wide response if it only affects a subset of students, not on school grounds.

In all three things, she is WRONG, because the issue at hand is:
1. She needs to push MCPS for a Transportation response.
2. She needs to do her job and inform all Westland families of a problem that could have happened to any of the students. Any bus, if poorly-maintained, could have had this happen. She needs to do the crucial PR101 and simultaneously reassure and provide more info (or promise she will push for info, then update a week later on the info she has received from Transportation).

This is basic "How to be the Head of an Organization", chapter "Heading off Pitchforks".

Agreed, wrong not to send out any communication. What if she has been told by Central office not to send anything even if she wants to pending an investigation?

Nope. Successful principals at other schools have kids have attended knew how to push back against Central Office. After some years, they understood when they could strike out on their own, and when they had to use, er, subterfuge, to get what they wanted. Not going to tell tales out of school (I was on the executive board of an MCPS elementary school for years) but the lengths some Principals go to for the kids' wellbeing - finagling extra teachers when Kindergarten enrollment surges after school starts, for example - is sometimes phenomenal.

This Principal should not be afraid of being a savvy politician, and throwing her weight about when necessary.
The job requires many hats!

[Anonymous]

^ excuse typos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the number of lawyers in MoCo, one has bound to be a parent of a student that rode that bus that day.

Word of warning from the experienced: an obnoxiously large part of the taxpayer budget is spent on MCPS lawyers. MCPS can outgun you, unless families pool resources together.

- parent of kid with special needs. SN families often find themselves in this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Westland but doesn't use that bus.

WHY DIDN'T THE PRINCIPAL SEND OUT A LETTER TO THE FAMILIES?!?!

This is something families should know.
Thank you, OP, for informing us.

Extremly sorry to hear to families of this bus and sincerely hope students and the bus driver are okay. ALL families with kids riding a bus should be livid and concerned hearing this.

Let's guess why communication wasn't send out...
A. Optics
B. Central office has yet to approve of any communication that the Principal can send out to families.
C. Optics
D. All of the above

The electinos are in a week. BOE members are on the ballot. Time to make your voice heard.

^^^^ This person has been spamming the same link regarding this incident on every every post in the archives that mentions buses or Westland Middle School.

I agree that this incident sounds scary, but please consider that spamming 10 plus posts about buses with the same link is not innocently sharing information. It's a campaign tactic aimed at frightening parents as we go into elections. There are plenty of things to be annoyed about, and issues to vote on, but let's not give in to our worst natures and let this person manipulate us