Should schools have the right to kick children off the bus permanently?

Something that happens around here is that kids get kicked off the bus permanently if they are chronic misbehavers. The thing that sucks about it is that it is a punishment for the parents too and taxes pay for the bus, so taking it away permanently for a child is not fair.

I understand that the driver does not need disruptions, but being kicked off permanently without having had a week or two suspension from the bus prior, seems wrong.

Thoughts?

I agree. Permanently is extreme & I would appeal that. I get that kids have to behave on the bus but a permanent ban is a last resort after all other attempts have failed.

Gonna have to disagree with you Red. If a kid is chronically misbehaving on the bus, then I think it's completely fair that he be banned from it. I don't think the bus driver or the other passengers should have to deal with one kid who is always being a little hellion.

The impression I got was that the kid hadn't even been suspended in the past. Permanently is excessive in a case like that. When my son was in school he rode a hellion bus. After a few suspensions & exhausted efforts there would be a ban. But not right out of the gate.

If they become a nuisance I would say a week not permanently.

my nephew was kicked off a bus permanently, he was defending his sister most of the time, kids mighta been verbally saying stuff, but yea sometimes my nephew would be the one to take it to a physical level. they did give him warnings, and was suspended before being kicked off this certain bus permanently. they ended up providing a different bus for him to catch to school.

CatEyes10736 wrote:Gonna have to disagree with you Red. If a kid is chronically misbehaving on the bus, then I think it's completely fair that he be banned from it. I don't think the bus driver or the other passengers should have to deal with one kid who is always being a little hellion.

It depends on the circumstances but if the kid is so disruptive that they become a safety hazzard? Get off the bus.

My son's cousin was kicked off last year. I don't even remember how severe it was or the details, though I do remember thinking that it wasn't anything really, really bad. But I suspect it wasn't his first time. So, since the walk home (where he would stay alone for less than an hour) was not safe, he had to get picked up by a daycare bus and go to the daycare...at $125 per week.

I think a better way to go would be to sit him in the front seat for the rest of the year and if he couldn't handle that, then go with the punishment of getting kicked off the bus.

Anyway, my son got in trouble yesterday on the bus for sticking a sticker on the head of a friend. This friend is very moody, and I am sure my son was trying to get his goat, and it worked because the kid flipped out and started yelling and swearing. So, all day, I was really paranoid about him coming home today and telling me he was off the bus, which would really suck. But after the principal talked to kids who saw it, he didn't even have my son into his office..thank goodness.

^^Red, something like your son did is not cause to be thrown off the school bus.

Yeah, Alan, I didn't think so, but kids have been thrown off for not much worse. I don't think that he stuck the sticker like a dainty little flower, I am sure he was being a jerk about it, and I was afraid that it may come across as a hit to the head, and for that, he would be kicked off. But, as it all turned out, he is on. And he will most likely be an angel from now on no matter what on the bus, since I told him he will not be allowed to ride his bike to school, but will have to walk as my punishment to him for getting kicked off!! He "loved" hearing that! He would have to leave here before six to walk all that way in time!

I would say suspend the kid for a week first and then give him another suspension if that didn't work and then kick him off as a last resort. The problem is, chronic misbehavers can really cause problems and if it becomes a safety concern... well - we had one kid kicked off the bus after he threw a shoe at the driver and it hit the driver hard. That could have been enough to cause an accident. I think the ban was temporary and he was eventually allowed back on with a severe warning that if it happened again, he'd be out. The safety of the other students comes before the inconvenience of one misbehaving student.

Yeah I wasn't trying to say that a kid who is being unsafe should not ride, but in this area, they are being way too extreme in who they ban.

Oh yeah - I know what you mean. It really does depend on the kid and what happened but yeah - a ban with no warnings or anything like that is too extreme.

RedBedroom wrote:Something that happens around here is that kids get kicked off the bus permanently if they are chronic misbehavers. The thing that sucks about it is that it is a punishment for the parents too and taxes pay for the bus, so taking it away permanently for a child is not fair.

I understand that the driver does not need disruptions, but being kicked off permanently without having had a week or two suspension from the bus prior, seems wrong.

Thoughts?

In a situation like this, I would employ a three strikes policy. After an unruly kid has been warned three times to knock it off, his parents have got to find another way to get him to and from school.

I agree the schools have the right to kick children off the bus. Granted that at times they may go too far but they should have that option available.

You have a great day.
Friendly Veteran

Chris wrote:

RedBedroom wrote:Something that happens around here is that kids get kicked off the bus permanently if they are chronic misbehavers. The thing that sucks about it is that it is a punishment for the parents too and taxes pay for the bus, so taking it away permanently for a child is not fair.

I understand that the driver does not need disruptions, but being kicked off permanently without having had a week or two suspension from the bus prior, seems wrong.

Thoughts?

In a situation like this, I would employ a three strikes policy. After an unruly kid has been warned three times to knock it off, his parents have got to find another way to get him to and from school.

I agree with this. I think when it comes to any severe infraction, the driver should be able to ban a misbehaved kid from the bus immediately but in general I will agree that 3 referrals should be given before a measure as extreme as this is taken.

If a child is misbehaving terribly and habitually, I would have to agree with Cat and say that, if permanently throwing him/her off the bus is a fit punishment for the behavior, let it be. Kids have to learn they can't act like complete assholes. Have 'em walk to school and quit bothering everybody else.