MITCHELL – At last night’s Mitchell Community Schools (MCS) meeting, MCS bus driver Brian Pugh brought several concerns before the MCS board as part of a list that “grows longer every year” according to Mr. Pugh.
The list included safety concerns such as:
- Loading and unloading zones for buses
- Load and unload zones for dropping and picking up children for school are supposed to be kept clear of traffic.
- Several locations, such as one just over Rariden Hill have safety issues in relation to non-school traffic. The stop of Rariden is just over the top of a hill, blocking the bus lights from incoming traffic. Four years ago, a car screeched and skidded in an attempt to slow down after topping the hill and seeing the bus stopped for student pickup. Brian reasoned this was an unsafe location to pick up students.
- New student pick-up notification protocol
- Parents often call the bus driver directly about a new student on his route in need of a pickup. This presents a safety concern when the change doesn’t go through the school because any parent can call for any student. It is a loophole that could easily be exploited. Mr. Pugh wants to ensure that a confirmed and approved list is provided to bus drivers from the school regarding which students need pickup up and/or dropped off. He requested this original list be updated by the school when needed.
- Parents meeting drivers at bus stops and entering the bus
According to Mr. Pugh, a teacher walked a little girl out to the bus one day at Hatfield Elementary and told the bus driver that he would need to talk to the little girl’s father about how she was being bullied on the bus. The bus driver was told the girl’s father would meet him at the drop-off point.
Brian Pugh stated he doesn’t think he should be having any meetings with parents at bus stops, explaining that it was a safety concern and that it would be best to meet anytime at the school with parents and a member of staff present to address concerns.
But Brian feels having to meet someone at a bus stop places him in a vulnerable position.
The father who met Brian at the bus stop boarded the bus, despite the driver’s directions to stay off.
The father had a gun holstered at his side, and the bus driver didn’t like the position this put him or the other students on the bus in. He stated the father held no ill intent, but it’s a concern in general when people think it’s alright to board buses without permission.
These concerns were, according to Mr. Pugh, the beginning of the list that has been accumulating for years, and he plans to attend each school meeting to present the issues until the list has been addressed.
The Board took his concerns into careful consideration.
