Fed up: Students protest bus overcrowding in Newfoundland
- September 14, 2009 2:56 PM |
- By Your Voice
Bio/About: My name is Jodie Norman and I'm a single mother of two. My 4-year-old son rides this overcrowded bus everyday from Pacquet to Baie Verte Academy and I am not pleased. I remember how I felt being crammed going to school, and I don't want it for my child. I've lived in Pacquet, Newfoundland all of my life, and rode a bus like this every day. I'm the youngest parent on our committee and agree with parents and students 100 per cent.
My story: On Friday, September 11th, 2009, what started out as a regular day with the kids heading back to school, turned into a walk-off at the bottom of Woodstock Hill in Woodstock, Nfld.
Children in the town are concerned for their safety on the school bus that has been issued for both towns of Pacquet and Woodstock. They say they will not return to school on this bus until the problem of over-crowding has been solved.
Students are currently sitting three to a seat and it isn't comfortable, let alone safe. The seats on the bus were measured this weekend and it was concluded that the regular seats are 39 inches long, giving each child 13 inches of space, a little over one foot to sit.
The bus has booster seats for underweight children at the front of the bus, but can only fit two boosters in one seat. So if they can only fit two boosters in one seat how can they expect to fit three regular size students in a smaller seat? They can't. These children are not safe, and if you cannot overload a personal vehicle with children, why should our buses have different rules? They shouldn't and these parents will not allow it.
My son is terrified of the bus ride. No student should be scared to go to school.
Students and parents are fed up with the broken promises. After the closing of Deck Wood Elementary, we were promised that the board of education would leave us with our two school buses. The promises of the board were broken and what we're left with are angry children and frustrated parents.
We will not be walked over any longer. If this takes the entire year, so be it.
Today, Monday, September 14, local parents, myself included, had a meeting with Paul Madison, who is representing the board of Education, and sadly to say, we didn't get too far with a proposal for a second bus. All parents are meeting with Cindy Fleet on, Tuesday, September 15 at 3:00 p.m. and will try to resolve our issue. So hopefully by then we will have answers, and hopefully they will be the ones we want.
Tuesday morning at 7:15 a.m. there will be another protest. Students of Pacquet and Woodstock will be walking off their bus at the turnaround. Locals say, "if we left our dog out in the cold, we would be charged, but now it's okay to let our children ride an overcrowded bus."
Animals have more rights than people these days and both students and parents are fed up and demand answers. We will be protesting until we get the answers we want.
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Comments (11)
Three children in a bus seat is not 'terrifying'. It's what these buses were designed for and it's how they are expected to be used.
Notice the parents threaten to keep their kids out of school rather than ride three-in-a-seat. That is very immature and irresponsible.
Perhaps this national attention is fueling their 15 minutes of fame. If these parents want a luxury ride for their children, they should get off the news and into their car to drive themselves.
Then I'll listen ... until they display these values again.
Ha ha.. the video is tooooo funny. The parents are concerned about bus safety yet they let their kids hang out in the street.. Too good.
Its sad that this kind of action is needed to get what is rightfully due parents and children.
Keep up the good fight parents and students!
Why do you have to make absurd statements like " animals have more rights then people"?
They don't so stop wishing you had the same rights as animals. But the only reason a school wouldn't fund a new bus is money...so have a bake sale or raise money with other parent and help out. Don't pull your kids out of school and why not take responsibility abd move closer to the school or drive your own kids. School bus rides aren't a right. and LOL on letting your kids stand on the street comment! ha
Being uncomfortable has nothing to do with safety. Buses are designed to have 3 kids/seat. These parents are concerned about safety? what a load, if they were concerned about safety they'd be asking for seatbelts and such. Not complaining that their kids have to sit with two other kids. So if they don't like it walk, or drive your kids to school regularily. We pay taxes to have our children taken to school, there is nothing stating it's going to be a luxiorious ride. The rides probably no longer then an hour, suck it up buttercup
We always sat three to a seat when I was in elementary school.
And the bus driver was a chain smoker.
Nowadays I hear they even have seat belts. Imagine!
I know the frustartions of school busing all too well. Last year i had an issue with my 7 year old daughter being bullied on the school bus. The biggest issue was the bus driver was the one doing the bullying. Many complaints and meetings and discussions later there was nothing but inaction by anyone involved.
When it comes down to the word of the bus driver of a scared to death 7 yr old the bus driver will always win out i have dicovered. Not only is over crowding an issue on the bus, there also needs to be an adult moniter on all buses. I cannot drive my car and answer my cell phone but an inividual can drive a 72 passenger bus and keep an eye on 60 kids at the same time. There is a disconnect here. A moniter is needed for the protection of the children nd th driver.
On a seperate note i have to wonder how school buses were liscened that do not meet canadian code. If i bring a vehicle in from the United States it has to be inspected before it gets liscened. Why did this not happen with the school buses?
I rode in a school bus during my schooling years in Newfoundland. It was common practice to ride three to a seat, and even as teenagers, with wider bodies and more developed hips and bums, there were many a day when you would have only half a cheek on a seat. This was not only the case for going to school, this included travelling to other towns for sports events.
The way I see it, you got a few options
1. Give up yer bellyachin' and suck it up-we've all done it-Obviously not going to be your solution, but it IS an option! I suspect that your 4 year old maybe more upset about being away from mom than being in a bus.
2. Raise some money on your own for a new bus. Less standing around and complaining, and more fundraising, even if it takes a couple of years.
3. Start a car pool and drive your kids to school. Its only 50 minutes, and isnt their safety worth a couple of hours out of your day??
4. Homeschooling. You can get all your supplies sent right to your home.
BTW- keeping your children out of school is NOT responsible parenting.
So if you cant get the bus you want, then I suggest you consider the other options.
Whatever happened to walking to school?
Yeah we've all heard the stories of how it was ten miles and uphill both ways. With snow up the neck from September through June.
Three to a seat is how it was when I was a kid. Beats walking.
Where I grew up in Saskatchewan, our school board made it a rule that no bus would have more than 2 students per seat. The school board recognized that the bench seats really weren't designed to hold 3 students plus all their gear. Two kids plus book-bags was more than enough. After they implemented the rule, there were a lot of happier parents and kids, and the bus drivers found their job was a lot easier to do.
I bet the 3 kids per seat design is exactly like the people count claims tent makers make: they rarely take ventilation and natural size differences into account.
On a cold day, crowding helps.
Would walking be healthier?