Everyone has an opinion, is outraged, and is questioning how a bus driver and school bus monitor of the North Vernon, Indiana, school district let the unthinkable happen.
“Video camera footage later downloaded from inside the bus shows that, on multiple occasions, the victim was sexually assaulted and raped, but neither the Corporation’s bus driver nor the extra bus monitor employee did anything to stop the assaults,” a lawyer for the boy’s family said in a statement. You can read an article with details here.
The question everyone wants answered: How could this happen?
I drove a bus for decades — and my parents owned and operated school buses too (Dad first for a short time, and then Mom for years and years) — starting in the 70s. I never had a monitor ride along and I had a rough group. Two of my past students did time for murder and others have died by various means that were a result of lifestyle choices. I had well-behaved students too… my crews over the years were simply a mix of community kids.
Where am I going with this? Well… as a bus driver, your job is to safely transport children to and from school — and that doesn’t just include driving. I know I had things go on behind my back… I still know the name of the kid that sat behind me and flipped boogers in my hair. Why, I could write a book entitled, “Shit kids do on a school bus that would terrify and disappoint parents.”
But how could something like this be missed?
Driving a bus with 60 kids (K-12) behind you can be complicated. Drivers in a hurry run your stop arm — my greatest fear was having a child hit by a car. Still, there’s a HUGE rearview mirror and as a bus driver, your eyes are constantly scanning. I would like to think I would’ve spotted this activity.
Everyone — including the attorneys for the victim — are making a big deal about a 15-year-old being seated with a 7-year-old. I did that ALL THE TIME. High school students were seated in the back 4 rows on both sides. If they were too rowdy or I thought they were about to do something not allowed, I’d pull them to the front seat. In that front seat would’ve been a little kid.
Punishment was often “front row for a week” for high schoolers that couldn’t behave. I was lucky to have several really good high school students over the years that kept an eye out for anything nefarious. There have been no reports on where the two boys were seated — just that they were seated together.
But the major difference is that my younger students were verbal… and so were the approximately 60 other student riders.
Unlike school bus drivers, monitors have one job.
While I trust my gut feeling that I would’ve noticed something like this — I can’t think of one single reason why the monitor wasn’t aware. Unlike my crew, who would tell on each other for every trivial thing, not one other student came forward in this instance? But again… what was the monitor doing that it was missed multiple times?
I have to mention this… newer school buses are built with seat backs that are higher than when I drove a bus. The new regulation was implemented for safety should there be an accident. It’s what happens when those without proper knowledge (non-bus drivers) make rules without first hand experience (been a bus driver). There’s not a bus driver on the planet that would’ve thought that was a great idea based upon injury statistics (wrecks vs other injuries caused inside a bus ratios).
The fact this happened is unthinkable. It’s sad and pathetic on so many levels. The school corp has been accused by many of also putting students on the special needs buses with behavioral problems. If it’s the case the accused was riding because of behavior problems, it’s going to get worse for Jennings County. You can’t mix the most vulnerable of children with troublemakers and expect a safe ride to or from school.