Big Troubles
05-08-2007, 05:24 PM
Check this Bullshit out:
School bus leaves behind autistic boy; Mother wants better training for drivers
- Friday, May 04, 2007 Updated @ 10:14:49 AM
A routine trip to school turned into an ordeal for an autistic boy who was left behind by his bus driver on a rural road after acting out.
"It was the scariest moment of my life as a mom," said Micheline Demers-Landry.
"You don't leave a child at the side of a country road, on any road."
It happened Wednesday at about 7:35 a.m. when her son, Drew, 11, and daughter, Molly, 9, were picked up at their bus stop near their rural residence on their way to St. Theresa School.
Drew has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, although he's high functioning and it's not obvious by looking at him that he has any problems, she said.
The siblings were fighting about toys when the driver told them to stop arguing or get off the bus, she said.
Drew can't handle confusion and he walked off, she said, adding the driver pulled away, leaving the boy two kilometres from his home.
Demers-Landry said she had not yet left for work when the bus company, Stock Transportation, called a short time later to find out if her son had returned home, prompting her to drive along the road until she found him.
The driver is no longer on that route and has been disciplined, she said.
And while she's also happy with the quick response from the school board, Demers-Landry said bus drivers should be trained to deal with special-needs children on their route.
Stock Transportation wouldn't comment on the incident when contacted Thursday.
"This certainly is a very rare occurrence," said Anna Marie Bitonti, director of education for the School Board.
A transportation consortium administers bus service to the four boards in the district.
This is not an incident that anyone could have expected, Bitonti said.
Wednesday's incident was handled immediately, she added, noting bus drivers are subject to background checks and receive training in first-aid and driving skills.
Lawsuit! :mad:
School bus leaves behind autistic boy; Mother wants better training for drivers
- Friday, May 04, 2007 Updated @ 10:14:49 AM
A routine trip to school turned into an ordeal for an autistic boy who was left behind by his bus driver on a rural road after acting out.
"It was the scariest moment of my life as a mom," said Micheline Demers-Landry.
"You don't leave a child at the side of a country road, on any road."
It happened Wednesday at about 7:35 a.m. when her son, Drew, 11, and daughter, Molly, 9, were picked up at their bus stop near their rural residence on their way to St. Theresa School.
Drew has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, although he's high functioning and it's not obvious by looking at him that he has any problems, she said.
The siblings were fighting about toys when the driver told them to stop arguing or get off the bus, she said.
Drew can't handle confusion and he walked off, she said, adding the driver pulled away, leaving the boy two kilometres from his home.
Demers-Landry said she had not yet left for work when the bus company, Stock Transportation, called a short time later to find out if her son had returned home, prompting her to drive along the road until she found him.
The driver is no longer on that route and has been disciplined, she said.
And while she's also happy with the quick response from the school board, Demers-Landry said bus drivers should be trained to deal with special-needs children on their route.
Stock Transportation wouldn't comment on the incident when contacted Thursday.
"This certainly is a very rare occurrence," said Anna Marie Bitonti, director of education for the School Board.
A transportation consortium administers bus service to the four boards in the district.
This is not an incident that anyone could have expected, Bitonti said.
Wednesday's incident was handled immediately, she added, noting bus drivers are subject to background checks and receive training in first-aid and driving skills.
Lawsuit! :mad: