Lobby MCPS for GPS bus tracking app?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GPS is okay to have but what is more okay then this is the seatbelts on the school buses.
Why in heaven there are not seatbelts on the school buses since every other car on the road is required to have it and used because
apparently they save lives.
It is all beautiful of you who in three.. two.. one.. will start throwing at me your statistics .. no thank you.
I know your statistics and I have my own statistics that show that there are enough of all kinds of accidents minor and major
that would be prevented if a kid would wear a belt. Every child counts. Statistics do not protect kids. Belts do.

Can we please have one of them threads to finally get seatbelt installed. If they are only decorative in the nature then
all the other school systems around the country that are using them must be truly out of their minds!

There are lots of studies and information on seatbelts on school buses and the consensus is no as if there is a fire, its much harder to get especially little ones or injured off the bus and given how many people are on it, they need to do it quickly.

[Anonymous]

Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPS is okay to have but what is more okay then this is the seatbelts on the school buses.
Why in heaven there are not seatbelts on the school buses since every other car on the road is required to have it and used because
apparently they save lives.
It is all beautiful of you who in three.. two.. one.. will start throwing at me your statistics .. no thank you.
I know your statistics and I have my own statistics that show that there are enough of all kinds of accidents minor and major
that would be prevented if a kid would wear a belt. Every child counts. Statistics do not protect kids. Belts do.

Can we please have one of them threads to finally get seatbelt installed. If they are only decorative in the nature then
all the other school systems around the country that are using them must be truly out of their minds!

There are lots of studies and information on seatbelts on school buses and the consensus is no as if there is a fire, its much harder to get especially little ones or injured off the bus and given how many people are on it, they need to do it quickly.

Or if it submerges. That is why the seats are so high. to protect the kids in an accident.

[Anonymous]

What if the bus is switched out, what will you do then? Can you make a deal with the bus driver or give your DC a phone or drop your DC at daycare? If the answer is no, then you may need to tough it out. Honestly, I'm a parent who believes it's not a DoT issue to "GPS the bus." I ended up getting my DC a cell phone. Honestly, I don't regret it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

Lots of kids didn’t survive unscathed. One of my brothers was 8 when he was walking home and was beaten bloody by a homeless man outside the SuperFresh. A priest driving past intervened.

A friend cut her hand preparing a snack and got sepsis. Her life was saved, but her hand atrophied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

Lots of kids didn’t survive unscathed. One of my brothers was 8 when he was walking home and was beaten bloody by a homeless man outside the SuperFresh. A priest driving past intervened.

A friend cut her hand preparing a snack and got sepsis. Her life was saved, but her hand atrophied.

There are risks from doing stuff. There are also risks from NOT doing stuff.

I will say that nobody I knew either was beaten bloody while walking home OR got sepsis and an atrophied hand from making a snack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

I grew up here and didn't know any kids going home alone at age 7. That is neglect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

I grew up here and didn't know any kids going home alone at age 7. That is neglect.

"Lordy People" poster seems to be that parent who wants schools to close the achievement gap while she is absent and neglectful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

I grew up here and didn't know any kids going home alone at age 7. That is neglect.

I knew plenty of kids who walked home alone at age 7. But there was someone at home with them when they got there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

Lots of kids didn’t survive unscathed. One of my brothers was 8 when he was walking home and was beaten bloody by a homeless man outside the SuperFresh. A priest driving past intervened.

A friend cut her hand preparing a snack and got sepsis. Her life was saved, but her hand atrophied.

There are risks from doing stuff. There are also risks from NOT doing stuff.

I will say that nobody I knew either was beaten bloody while walking home OR got sepsis and an atrophied hand from making a snack.

I grew up with the same level of care and attention from parents that we see today. An adult was always available to supervise the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd much rather lobby for cameras on buses, and increased background checks for drivers.

GPS is nice for parent convenience, but cameras and background checks are important for student safety.

We have cameras on buses. That is how they caught the driver who was sexually abusing the special ed students.

+1 to background check and mandatory testing for drivers through out the school year.

Okay so here is the final shopping list:

- cameras on busess - check.
- cameras outside the buses to record when cars do not stop. - to do
- background check and routine mandatory testing of the drivers - to do
- GPS - to do
- seatbelts on busses - to do

I have made some changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think it would be helpful. I have multiple kids getting off different buses. There have been a couple times just this year when the bus is running very late and it wasn’t clear whether I should continue to wait or go get my other kid....
I don’t want to give my ES kids phones to track their buses.

They don't need to have phones to have trackers but if there is a wait issue or not, a phone is helpful.

Why is it helpful? Don't the schools have phones. Don't you have a phone in your house. A neighbor's phone? The bus driver's phone? I mean your kid is not out in the woods all alone. There is no need for a phone except that kids want them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

I grew up here and didn't know any kids going home alone at age 7. That is neglect.

I knew plenty of kids who walked home alone at age 7. But there was someone at home with them when they got there.

I was a latchkey kids at 8yrs old. I was the youngest and my mom went back to work. My older sisters barely came home after school because they were involved in after school stuff and took late buses home. I also walked home with friends only from the bus stop starting in K even when she was home. I never once saw a parent in our neighborhood bus stop or all the stops before ours. That kid would have been mortified.

And by the way, in Maryland it is perfectly legal to have an 8yr old home alone, even today. It is not neglect and either was 7 probably back in the day. Please stop.

Are you saying your mom took you to the bus stop every day while in elementary school? I find that very hard to believe back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy people. How did you all survive childhood? In the 80's kids as young as 7 were going home to a house alone with a house key and doing their homework and making a snack. Many had a list of chores and had to start dinner. Maybe called their mom once they got home, but more than likely not.

Now we have parents wanted to track their kids every step and piss. If the bus is late all the mommies driving their minivans 7 houses to the bus stop are standing around are all worried. LOL. Some even leave to or call the school. Where is my poor baby 5th grader? I must know right now!!!

These kids literally can be on their own. They are more than capable of having a game plan set without a cell phone. Do your kids a favor and make them earn a little bit of autonomy or street smarts, so when they are in 9th grade, they aren't the wuss texting you for help because they are clueless how to decide anything on their own or CREATE a game plan. Be a parent, not a coddler.

Lots of kids didn’t survive unscathed. One of my brothers was 8 when he was walking home and was beaten bloody by a homeless man outside the SuperFresh. A priest driving past intervened.

A friend cut her hand preparing a snack and got sepsis. Her life was saved, but her hand atrophied.

Homeless boy attacks 8yr old for no reason. No one to save them but a priest?
Friend cuts their hand and immediately gets sepsis and hand atrophied within hours?

Got it.

[Anonymous]

MCPS is lucky to have buses at all. Equipping them with GPS is an unnecessary expense.