We have been having on-going issues with our bus driver, Eddie Rogers. At first I thought it was because we're in the rural south & are very obviously northerns, but we are not the only parents having/ have had issues with him.
He has done things like scream at my 10 yr old & special needs children to " shut the hell up" & made my 10 yr old ride in the bus floor after she fell out of an over crowded seat ( there were two 7th graders in her assigned seat & the driver wouldn't allow my child to move to another seat).
We complained to the district and they said they would speak with him, but that they couldn't do much as the recording device on the bus only runs on an eight hour loop - they had no visual proof. It became gloaringly apparent that they had spoken to him as his behavior twards my children became even more aggresive.
The following Tuesday the bus driver saw my daughter eat a chip while on his bus. On Wednesday he told my child that he would give her the option to sweep & mop his bus during school hours OR get a written referral. I, of course, did not find out about it until Wednesday evening when my child got home from soccer practice. I called both the school principal and the school district supervisor(s) first thing on Thursday morning. At this point, the driver had still not issued a referral.
The principal, Mr. Dotson, shared with me that it was strictly against policy for the driver to pull my child from class for any reason, & furthermore, a child should get a verbal warning for a first (and only) offense.
I immediately contacted the transportation supervisors as well as assistant district supervisor, Steve Butcher, and the district supervisor Mr. Eaton. I was told by Mr. Butcher that he would look into the issue.
He emailed me at the end of the school day ( Thursday), after the driver had already issued the referral, and he seemed more concerned with the number of chips my child ate than with the drivers breach of policy. ( My child had never been told not to eat on the bus, as a matter of fact the driver watched in silence as my child ate the chips right in front of him that Tuesday) They told me that after my complaint (that very morning) they pulled the recorded footage of my child eating several chips over a six minute period of time. I asked how they could have pulled footage from 48 hours before if the video was on an eight hour loop. They never responded. They still will not return my phone calls of e-mails.
This driver is not only dishonest, vindictive and aggressive, his actions have put my children in danger! I have personally met three other families who have pulled their children off this same bus due to issues with the driver. All three stated that the school district will not take any action against the bus driver - no matter what the nature of his offense.
What can I do against a corrupt system? They are not concerned with the well being of the children they are employed to protect.