posted by Shelley
Everyone has complaints about where they work, or the jobs they must perform. These complaints can cover everything from benefits to colleagues to management specific issues. Well, I have complaints too — not with my own business (mckainerwin), or with my position within my brother’s company (McKain Performance Group, Inc.) — and my complaints pertain to safety.
I drive a school bus for the Crothersville Community School system. We are contract drivers (meaning we own our own buses and contract with the school to provide transportation) and are not employees with benefits or other considerations. Still, with the majority of C’ville’s bus drivers having many, many years under our belts, you would think that SOMEONE would listen to our concerns. Think again.
Our school is home to both elementary and high school students all under one roof. On both the north and south side of the facility are doors to each age group. Throughout the past few years, the school’s Superintendent has changed our drop-off/pick-up positions many times. Maybe that is because of the building project (yah right) or maybe he feels as if he’s choosing the safest and best spot for the students (I’ve seen him outside ONE time this year during pick-up and NOT ONCE during drop-off). Even though bus drivers (the ones with the experience and that are there EVERY DAY) have voiced their concerns during school board meetings, our pleas fall on deaf ears.
To preface my complaint, let me explain about student pick-up and delivery in the past. During the building project phase, bus drivers were picking-up/dropping off students on Preston Street (the front of the school). Yes, it’s a public street, but we were told we were NOT to have our stop-arms out during loading (we could while unloading) as this would totally block access for 15 minutes every afternoon. Even though this caused drivers to break the law, we did as we were told.
Last year, we were moved to the south side of the school and parked on school property within a ‘drive through area’ for pick-up, and dropped students off in this same area. This was MUCH safer insofar as the students were concerned. Upon leaving the school; however, bus drivers complained that the crossing guard was leaving too early (we felt that the crossing guard should NOT leave in a hurry to beat the buses — but should instead stay until all the students had time to cross the busy Preston Street intersection), so to remedy our complaints — this year we were moved to Oak Street on the north side of the facility.
Now Oak Street is a little town street that would be a dead-end if not for the run-through road around the park, but it does have homes and the residents require its use for access. Still, every day at 2:45pm, bus drivers pull out stop-arms for loading…and sit there until at least 3:00pm blocking traffic. We watch as parents run our stop arms (6 buses, 6 stop-arms) to get to the parking lot to pick up their child — and we cringe when our already pathetic “plan” doesn’t go as it should. Today, a semi was unloading products at the cafeteria door. The trailer was on school property, but the tractor portion of the semi stuck out into Oak Street…and the whole thing was in the way of where the students were.
One of the buses pulled out to the left (as shown in the photo above) to help block the road — some kids were even walking under the trailer of the semi to get to the 3 buses behind the one you see on the right side of this photo. It was either under the trailer or out in the road as water stands everywhere within this area and kids simply had no place to go. Safe? Hell no! Not even when things are optimum for where the Superintendent has bus drivers doing their job is it safe. This day was a joke. Where are the parents? Are they complaining? If they are — they aren’t doing it in public at a school board meeting. I think it’s time they did. It’s for certain the school bus driver’s voices are never heard.