This column pre-dates Rick Grisham, CCSD transportation manager, so I hope his staff won't bother putting up banners or such on his behalf.
Even if it would help the local sign-making economy, two-foot-tall letters paid for with our tax money proclaiming, "We love Rick's hot buses" or "Rick's buses R GR8 for kids!" are really not necessary.
No, this is another silly school start date rant, really, because I'll probably never give up on this, no matter what the hoity-toity William Ayers-loving education experts say.
And it's been inspired today by the sycophants who claim, "Clearly. It's no hotter in August than it is in September."
I hope they'll head for their computers first thing tomorrow to blog on taxpayer time that the news media is attacking them yet again.
Meanwhile, it's the beginning of August. In the good old days, we'd be arranging a synchronized ice dump in the community pool or heading to Minnesota for the family reunion. Our teens would be working summer jobs, out of our hair, productive, saving for a car or college (which would still cost less than the price of my first house). They'd be making the local economy tick, rather than illegal aliens, learning how to handle responsibility in preparation for life, which it seems so many are not equipped to handle these days.
Yet today, moms are forcing little toes into tennis shoes, testing the weight limits for backpacks that'll hold 50 pounds of stuff by mid-month and trying to calculate how much school supplies will cost, including necessities for the teacher - no longer provided because of the crisis, never let one go to waste.
Anyway, with a nod to go-along parents these days who can't wait for someone else to care for their little angels - year round school is fine with them, really, as long as there's a week or two off for the Disney trip - we are headed back to school.
Face it, it's hot for kids riding the bus and even hotter for drivers who make multiple runs. With budget cuts this year, who knows how long the routes will be?
As I've said in the past, we jail people who leave their dogs in a hot car, but don't blink an eye at conditions on the buses.
I have a request and a challenge today.
First, the request: If your child comes off the bus this year overheated, will you contact me? Just let me keep track. It's the only way we'll ever know.
Second, the challenge, to outgoing board member Dr. John Abraham, who gained my respect in 2007 when he actually rode an August bus:
As opposed to finishing as a flip flopper on the issue that got you elected, earlier school start dates, how about a strong finish?
Use your expertise in the environmental health field and come clean about what kids are exposed to on their buses, day after day - heat, exhaust, staff, mold.
Then put yourself out there as only a lame duck can. Help the whistleblower drivers and mechanics and confirm their alarming reports of illegal exhaust leaks and fumes in a large percentage of CCSD buses. And then let the newly elected board deal with it openly and honestly.
Executive advice gurus might call this. "Living the values that take you the distance." I'd just call it doing the right thing.
Lbarmstrong3378@comcast.net
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Here is a situation you will appreciate. Yesterday two Walton school buses were involved in a rear-ending. The bus riders were forced to remain on scorching hot buses for over an hour until Cobb County School officials performed their evaluation and wrote their reports. When contacted, Cobb County said they "followed protocol." Paramedics were standing by in case of injury or heat related illness. I said if temperatures soared over 100 degrees on the bus if other action would be taken, ie. distribute water or wet towels and the answer was no. Protocol will be followed until overturned by the school board. Parents need to band together and pressure this board to make better decisions on behalf of our children.
Yes, CCSD is worried. So much so that they have been demanding that the bus drivers lower all windows all the way down. They have also told bus drivers to not have thermometers on the bus.
Friday, when it poured rain in some areas of Cobb, bus drivers were told that the windows must remain down. The busses with compliant students reported that children were sliding around on the wet seats and floors and that everyone was trying to get to the middle of the bus. The busses with less compliant students reported that the students refused to leave the windows down. Many bus drivers felt that they were being forced to drive in unsafe and sometimes chaotic conditions. Dispatchers told the drivers that the people that had made the "all windows down no matter what" decision were aware that it might rain and felt that the heat was a bigger problem than the rain.
The funny thing is that when it started to pour down rain, the temperature dropped 15 degress, as it usually does, and the rain pouring into the open windows of the bus was then a much bigger problem than the heat.
I just have one question for the people of Cobb County. How do we allow people with so little common sence to get into positions where they make decisions that affect the safety of our children and others? Even the dumb old bus drivers know when it time to get out of the rain.
My children will be riding the bus on Thursday and will enjoy their trip to the beach in September.
Some runs are have been shortened this yr in an effort to save money. So now there are more turn arounds or backups in cul de sacs or at intersections. Those are very dangerous not only in the dark on the AM run, but in the afternoon when students tend to walk or run in every direction after getting off the bus. When an accident happens, it will be ALL the fault of the driver. Also, the new onboard systems tell the driver what is the shortest route & they better not deviate from that. Driving 2 blocks to avoid a dangerous & timely backup will not be allowed. Makes sense, uh?
You have lots to follow up on this school year Mrs. Armstrong, so please don't give up.