10
Chattanooga Parent • Oct/Nov 2010
The squeals on the bus
By Julianne Hale
O ther than the time that I vomited five consecutive times in the
back row of seats (you’re welcome, bus driver), I have very fond
memories of the school bus. It was Bus #2 and, because I had the
distinction of riding this particular bus, I got dismissed from class 15
minutes earlier than everyone else. The passengers of Bus #2 ranged in
age from 5 to 12 and were a lively bunch. I actually remember singing
“On Top of Spaghetti” in unison to Kenny, a high
school senior and our bus driver at the time (I kid
you not), and laughing hysterically. Occasionally
there was some drama aboard the bus, and I was
privy to certain taboo information that I wouldn’t
have been if I were in a carpool, but, all in all, it
was a positive experience.
I should note that I spent my formative years
in South Carolina, a place where seatbelts were
considered a violation of civil liberties and I could
drive without supervision during daylight hours
two weeks after my 15th birthday. It should come as
no surprise, then, that my parents had no problem
throwing me on a bus driven by a high school
kid they didn’t know from Adam. I imagine that
letting me ride the school bus, like many common
parental decisions at that time, was a no-brainer.
It was convenient, and my parents probably took
comfort in knowing that several other children
from our picturesque subdivision rode the same
bus. These days, for parents who are fortunate
enough to have a choice when it comes to their
children’s transportation to and from school, the The kids in parents’
decision is not quite so simple.
The scene that most parents picture when they media-fueled fantasies
envision the interior of a school bus does not
involve a choir of children serenading the driver.
aren’t laughing and getting
Traumatized by high-profile accounts of isolated homework done on the bus;
school bus incidents, most parents picture a scene
straight out of a gritty prison drama in which
they’re making shanks out
children, unencumbered by seatbelts, get attacked, of plastic forks.
groped, bullied and exposed to all manner of drug
paraphernalia. The kids in these media-fueled
fantasies aren’t laughing and getting homework done; they’re making
shanks out of plastic forks and getting to third base in the back row.
Sharon Parker, mother of two school-aged boys, is leery of the school
bus. “My kids beg to ride, but I won’t allow it,” she says. “I have heard
too many stories of children being disrespectful, bullying and a few
choice words being picked up from riding the bus. I just feel like there
are too many different age groups riding together. I can’t protect them
forever, I know, but I’m trying my best!”
Sharon is not alone in her thinking. Many control-freak parents—
myself included—have toyed with the idea of foregoing the nightmarish
pickup line at the end of the school day in favor of a bus ride home for
their children. Still, grateful that we have a choice in the matter, we
stick to the deluded notion that we are the only
ones equipped with the skills necessary to keep
our children alive between the school car line and
our driveways.
This might be a reasonable assertion if we were
making any of these car trips on a road with zero
traffic. Despite our best efforts, however, the
control we think we have is an illusion; every other
driver on the road is an unknown variable.
The statistics about bus safety overwhelmingly
favor bus riders over students who use other modes
of transportation. According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatal
Analysis Reporting System, there are roughly 600
school-age children killed annually while riding
to and from school in motor vehicles other than
school buses. School bus riders, which account
for 53 percent of U.S. public school students in
grades K–12, have a much higher survival rate.
The same study cites an average of six children
per year killed inside school buses, and 16 killed
as pedestrians when loading and unloading from
the bus.
Despite these statistics, many parents cannot
reconcile the lack of seatbelts on a school bus.
Why are our kids permitted to sit un-tethered
inside a large yellow tin can with nary an airbag,
but we are given citations if our 7-year-old isn’t
strapped into a car seat? For the answer to this
question, I turned to Rachel Woods, deputy for
First to the Top with the Tennessee Department
of Education. Of the lack of seatbelts, Woods
says, “The compartmentalization of school bus
seating has proven to be safer than adding seatbelts.” When it comes
to general bus safety, she adds, “Parents should always take the time to
get to know drivers. All bus drivers must have background checks and
pass safety training provided by the Tennessee Department of Safety,
plus any training provided by the local system.” Woods emphasizes that
safety is the number-one goal of the Department of Education. There
 STOP THE BITE.
11
Chattanooga Parent • Oct/Nov 2010

you have it. The safety of school buses in the state of Tennessee cannot
be denied. End mosquito bite misery for good with our affordable,
Christie Kilpatrick, mother of three, admits she had some initial effective and dependable solutions.
trepidation about letting her girls ride the bus, but ultimately decided it
was the best choice for her family. “I was a little worried about my girls
riding the bus at first,” she says. “Now I love it. It saves time, gas, money, Kills ticks too!
and I can stay in my PJs and wave from the window. The bus driver is
awesome. She watches after the kids like they are her own. She even
will not let them off the bus unless she sees my car in the driveway.”
What a relaxing morning. While I spend the early part of my day
trying to get myself, my two oldest children and my baby fed and
$25 off
First Spray
The statistics about bus safety overwhelmingly
favor bus riders over students who use other
modes of transportation.
NO BUGS. NO BITES. NO KIDDING.
presentable in time to rush to school, only to push my kids out the car
door in a cloud of hurried chaos, Christie sips coffee in her pajamas, Free Estimates!
saving time and money and enjoying the morning with her little ones.
I’d like to be more like Christie, but I’m not there yet. I take comfort 423.386.5943 • MosquitoSquad.com
One offer good per customer. CH#4467
in the statistics and the fact that there is an explanation for the lack of
seatbelts, but I still worry about the influence of other children. Even
with teenage drivers, the “lessons” I learned on the school bus were
PG-13 at their worst. What will my 5-year-old take in if she happens
to sit next to a couple of 12-year-olds? Will she fall victim to bullying,
develop the skills necessary to make a pipe bomb, or witness a scene Join us for TROPICAL
right out of Skinemax? Do I trust the drivers enough to not let these THURSDAY at our
things happen? Is it even humanly possible to effectively monitor a bus Gunbarrel location!
full of kids from a rearview mirror? These are the questions that swim
in my head and keep me from taking the leap to bus transportation. For
now, I choose the misery of the car line and the illusion of control.

Julianne Hale, an award-winning freelance writer and mother of

three, lives in Cleveland, Tenn. Read more from Julianne on her blog,
FREE
smoothie with purchase
of wrap or sandwich

AnotherGrayHair.Typepad.com.

Valid at Gunbarrel location only.

Not valid with any other offer.
One coupon per customer per
Valid ONLY at visit. Please present coupon
when ordering.
1925 Gunbarrel Rd., Ste 123
Chattanooga, TN 37421
423-475-5124
verifiedmarketing@gmail.com
Also visit us at:
248 Northgate Mall Dr., Ste 130
Hixon, TN 37415
423-710-3834