I’m starting a petition to have aides placed on each full-sized bus’ routes for four reasons:

1. It is unsafe for one non-childcare trained (or minimally childcare trained) adult to be asked to care for up to 80 unbuckled CHILDREN at a time while operating a large commercial piece of equipment. Even if they were certified teachers it would be unreasonable. 

2. Children know that the driver can’t possibly perform this task and act up in unsafe ways while traveling down the road at up to 55 MPH. Children are provoking drivers with unsafe behaviors and recording them yelling at them in an attempt to provoke the students to sit safely in an effort to outrage parents and bring media attention. No other immediately effective option is available to drivers as they are not allowed to leave their seat, leaving drivers and districts vulnerable to lawsuits and irate parents.

3. No other profession would ever allow children or even one child to be cared for by a person trying to operate large equipment of any type at high speeds (or any speed).

4. Precedent has been set by tour companies previously that it is unreasonable to expect bus drivers to interact with riders safely (see the tragic ride the ducks boat/tour bus accident a few years ago).

 I’ve brought this up before and cost is always used to argue against it but I’m tired of hearing that. Our children are being cared for in a group size of 80:1 by an adult also trying to operating a large commercial vehicle. It is not unreasonable to pay an extra $15-20/hr (for a total of roughly 3-4 hours a day per bus). We need to have a set of eyes on the children so that the driver can focus on DRIVING instead of babysitting four classrooms worth of kids whilst on the road. 

Please sign so that we may lobby to the district for safe transportation and reasonable duties for kids and drivers. This norm is not working anymore.