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

What is the harm in that?

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

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.

He was in a booster, that means someone had to have put him in it. How do you forget a child you buckled in?!

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.

Very interesting. I did not know about this. Good to know!

This case is disgusting and I'm glad they were fired.

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.

They need to do something. Heard on the news that 6 kids ride that bus. They can't keep track of 6 kids? Why didn't the teacher notify the parents that the 4 yr old special need kid wasn't at school? Stupid idiots.

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 is going to give me nightmares b/c my SN kid rides the bus!

This is insane. That poor kid. Why didn't they do a check of the bus after the kids got off?

6 hours?!?!? Oh my gosh.

Horrible. Why didn't the school call his parents? Didn't they notice he wasn't at school?

Our public charter always calls the parents if a child does not show up and the parents don't let them know the child won't be at school.

The teachers and the administrators at this school should account for their students even if the bus driver and attendant are idiots. They should have more safeguards especially for special needs students.

This made me nauseous. He likely cried himself to sleep. How horrible. Stories like this make it hard to trust people. I don't entirely blame helicopter parents after reading stuff like this.

This is horrible. I hope the child is ok.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bus-driver-attendant-fired-after-leaving-special-needs-4-year-old-alone-on-dc-bus-for-hours/2012/11/28/142f7474-3957-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_story.html?wprss=rss_social-local-headlines&Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost