Bus driver, attendant fired after leaving special needs 4-year-old alone on DC bus for hours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't be too quick to be glad the driver was fired. No doubt they will appeal and they are represented by the Union. I would be money this driver will get reinstated but with some new "safety" training or at least get a significant severance package.

I used to work there. The union would not represent the driver in this circumstance. Stop jumping to conclusions about unions. Drivers are NEVER reinstated in DC when child safety is concerned. The union won't touch it.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Montgomery County, buses have a post-trip safety alarm that arms when the ignition is turned off. If the driver doesn't flip another switch at the back of the bus, the bus horn goes off. It's meant to require drivers to go back each and every time and check the seats.

I'd ask the school board about that if my jursidiction didn't have them.

This bus was also equipped with the alarm. It was reported on the news last night that the bus attendants disabled the alarm. For that reason, the alarm did not go off. The referred the matter to the AG for possible criminal prosecution.

[Anonymous]

This poor little guy. It was COLD yesterday! And he was strapped in the whole time? That's horrible.

[Anonymous]

First year DCPS SN Parent here also. The nightmares have now started. I realize now that when I kept DS out of school prior to Thanksgiving no one noticed.

Thank Goodness he is alright.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, this story is awful and I do have an SN kid who rides the bus. Thank you PP for posting about the alarms in MCPS buses - that's where he is and it eases my mind quite a lot. But this:

We live near a dcps with a lot of sn and the bus drivers have a sidewalk party most days, talking/yelling/laughing/smoking -- they seem a little too comfy in their jobs. Hope this gives them a litle incentive to act more professionally and take their job seriously.

What would you prefer these drivers be doing when they are not actually driving their buses? They're not allowed to socialize with other drivers? Would you prefer they get into their separate buses and idle them, polluting the environment? I don't get this comment at all.

PP here. What I would prefer is that they turn off their busses when they are not inside them, not smoke or curse in front of the students, and generally act like responsible adults who are on the clock from the time the bus leaves the garage until it is brought back to the garage. Instead, it looks and sounds like a sat. night on my corner when they come to take the students home in the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, this story is awful and I do have an SN kid who rides the bus. Thank you PP for posting about the alarms in MCPS buses - that's where he is and it eases my mind quite a lot. But this:

We live near a dcps with a lot of sn and the bus drivers have a sidewalk party most days, talking/yelling/laughing/smoking -- they seem a little too comfy in their jobs. Hope this gives them a litle incentive to act more professionally and take their job seriously.

What would you prefer these drivers be doing when they are not actually driving their buses? They're not allowed to socialize with other drivers? Would you prefer they get into their separate buses and idle them, polluting the environment? I don't get this comment at all.

PP here. What I would prefer is that they turn off their busses when they are not inside them, not smoke or curse in front of the students, and generally act like responsible adults who are on the clock from the time the bus leaves the garage until it is brought back to the garage. Instead, it looks and sounds like a sat. night on my corner when they come to take the students home in the afternoon.

This is what they are supposed to do. They can socialize when they get back to the terminal. You should report this behavior to OSSE DOT. It is actually not allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taxi drivers do this (socialize with other drivers) when they are not driving.

Sure, but they're not on the clock, responsible for the transportation and safety of students who cannot advocate for themselves. Do you really not understand the difference?

But a bus driver whose bus is empty (which is what was described, not talking about the OP, but the poster who was complaining about the bus drivers at her child's school) is not at that moment responsible for the transportation and safety of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taxi drivers do this (socialize with other drivers) when they are not driving.

Sure, but they're not on the clock, responsible for the transportation and safety of students who cannot advocate for themselves. Do you really not understand the difference?

But a bus driver whose bus is empty (which is what was described, not talking about the OP, but the poster who was complaining about the bus drivers at her child's school) is not at that moment responsible for the transportation and safety of students.

They're still on the clock, getting paid. Smoking and using bad language in front of students is inappropriate.

And for the record, when taxi drivers take a break, it's on their own dime.

[Anonymous]

Isn't a 4 year old too young to be on a school bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a 4 year old too young to be on a school bus?

Of course not. School starts at 3 in DC. That's what age kids can get on the bus. Each bus has a driver and attendant. Under normal circumstances, that would be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

What is so sad there are pre-cautions so that situations like this would not happen. The bus driver disabled the alarm, which requires a manual deactivation. There are so many unanswered questions and it is not just for the driver and attendant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't a 4 year old too young to be on a school bus?

Of course not. School starts at 3 in DC. That's what age kids can get on the bus. Each bus has a driver and attendant. Under normal circumstances, that would be a good thing.

School for children with disabilities starts at 3 everywhere in this country, and the vast majority of those students ride the bus. This is a very rare incident, most bus drivers and aides take the safety of their students very seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taxi drivers do this (socialize with other drivers) when they are not driving.

Sure, but they're not on the clock, responsible for the transportation and safety of students who cannot advocate for themselves. Do you really not understand the difference?

But a bus driver whose bus is empty (which is what was described, not talking about the OP, but the poster who was complaining about the bus drivers at her child's school) is not at that moment responsible for the transportation and safety of students.

They're still on the clock, getting paid. Smoking and using bad language in front of students is inappropriate.

And for the record, when taxi drivers take a break, it's on their own dime.

Sometimes they are NOT on the clock, but work split shifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG! My heart goes to the little guy and the family. The driver and attendant should be punished. As PPs pointed out, he would be dead. The family should pursue legal means.

I hope the driver and the attendant face criminal charges. It seems to me that by intentionally disabling the alarm and sitting in the front rather than the back as required (or letting the attendant sit in the front, in the driver's case) they are guilty of willful neglect.

But I doubt the parents would have much of a case. First, unless there was a series of incidents with the driver/attendant and they failed to fire them earlier, the city doesn't seem to be responsible. There were reasonable rules to prevent this kind of accident that were violated by the driver and the attendant. Second, the driver and attendant aren't likely to have any appreciable assets worth going after. Lastly, the fact that the child wasn't physically harmed would probably mean any judgment would be low.

Of course, never underestimate a jury's potential to set aside all the legal arguments and enter a giant judgment just to make sure someone gets punished, even if ultimately it's the taxpayers who foot the bill. So I'm sure they will be able to find a lawyer willing to roll the dice.

[Anonymous]

If I were this kid's parents, I wouldn't be measuring the depths of pockets. I would want to make sure that the driver and attendant were never again responsible for children.

I'm a PP who has a just-turned 4-yo with SN who rides the bus (MCPS, though) and this has scared the crap out of me.