Driver says he did all he could during Florida school bus beating

[steve2470]

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/05/justice/florida-school-bus-beating/index.html

(CNN) -- The windmilling fists and stomping feet rain down blows on the 13-year-old boy.

Trapped on the floor between the bus seats, he cries out as he receives fierce punch after vicious kick from the three bigger, older youths.

As the relentless assault unfolds, the driver of the Florida school bus alerts the dispatcher, pleading for aid.

But he doesn't physically step in to help.

*video at link*

[ceonupe]

1. Did you see that beat down

That's worldstarhiphop level material right there.

If he stepped in he may have gotten his butt whipped or worse.

And if he did step in a cold clocked one of the thugs knocking him out cold he would have been fired.

[steve2470]

2. no, I'm sure it's very awful nt

[Warpy]

4. I ddidn't see it and don't want to

but I've read enough about it to know the driver was right not to wade into the mess. A severely injured or dead driver was not going to help any of the kids on that bus.

The only thing I fault him for is not calling 911 and getting the cops there fast, preferably an ambulance for the victim.

I hate school bullies. A night in jail might improve some of them.

[Bake]

22. Get the cops there FAST? You make me laugh.

When seconds matter, the cops are only minutes away.

Bake

[MindPilot]

23. The only thing that will improve a bully is a beating.

One severe enough that they never come out of the coma. Keeps 'em from becoming cops when they get older.

[Warpy]

24. Well, one good punch will do it

Give a bully a bloody nose and the coward will realize you will hurt him if he ever comes back. They go searching for easier prey.

I just wish I'd been younger when I figured that one out.

Female bullies are different. They spread rumors. I started rumors on them. They learned to leave me alone.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

50. " A night in jail might improve some of them."

Only one. From that horrifying video those young men do not appear to be strangers to violence.

[KittyWampus]

3. Those three "kids" were pretty darned big. Only thing I could imagine a driver doing and not get

in trouble or injured himself is maybe spray mace at the delinquents.

[dsc]

5. Oh you surely don't know schools

If he maced those kids he would have been hung out to dry like laundry in a trailer park.

[Archae]

6. Leave the driver alone!

What could he do?

At the very least had he "waded in," he would have been pounded into jelly himself.

Besides, these are three THUGS, and who knows if they had knives, guns, or whatever.

[sarisataka]

7. Sadly, had he stepped in

-he would not have been able to retire, he would have been fired
-he would be investigated for abusing and assaulting children
-the parents of the bullies would sue him for all of the 'injuries' he inflicted
-a percentage of the population would insist on jail time arguing there is never any reason for an adult to put hands on a child

[SheilaT]

8. So if a school bus driver steps in to protect

a kid from being beaten up by bullies it's a fireable offense?

I do hope that the job specifications for that job make that clear.

Jesus fucking Christ. If I had a kid riding a school bus in that area there's no way I'd ever let my kid back on the bus.

[GiaGiovanni]

10. What corporation owns the buses?

Global corps are buying out public bus lines and school bus companies. Was it an America corporation?

[steve2470]

11. I think he would be fired, yes

From what I read here, he did what he could. His hands were tied.

[SheilaT]

13. But do those posting here actually know the policy

of the school?

Perhaps a strike of the school bus drivers is reasonable and should happen. Were I a bus driver there I'd refuse to continue driving without a security person along every day.

Not to mention, those three thugs should never be allowed on a school bus ever again.

[steve2470]

14. the article cited school board policy

According to Pinellas County school policy, the bus driver isn't required to intervene, only to call dispatch.

He can step in, if he feels it's safe.

[SheilaT]

20. I don't see anything that indicates he'd be fired for stepping in,

which is what various posters have said.

[TheMadMonk]

36. Many times in broadly simillar situations, that is EXACTLY...

...what has happened to employees who 'overstepped' by laying hands on a child and/or member of the public.

Without specific legislatively protected authority to do so, physically interfering in a conflict between minors is a perilous undertaking for anyone at any time. In the workplace it's a recipe for disaster.

It's very difficult to be successfully litigated against for doing nothing.
It's all to easy to lose a lawsuit alleging wrongful ACTION.

[sarisataka]

16. The article states

Some districts specifically prohibit drivers from interventions. This district gives a lukewarm permission but I doubt it grants the driver any protection, legal or employment related. The company would cut ties with the driver to strengthen their case in the lawsuit

[Posteritatis]

21. Is it really that surprising?

The way schools currently operate it's a punishable offense to get assaulted without provocation, never mind interfering in a fight in progress.

[GiaGiovanni]

9. Driver didn't do anything. He was old and scared. 3 attackers (older) were relentless.

The 13-year old was smaller than the older 3 attackers. The 3 attackers were relentless and had the driver gotten involved, he might have been clobbered.

[Bonx]

19. The three couldn't possibly have *really* hurt the driver or the student

Since they are only fifteen.

/sarc

[GiaGiovanni]

25. There's actually a big difference between 13 and 15 in boys

Your junior high and high school teachers know this. At 13, the boys are still squirmy 8th graders, in the middle of their voice changes (or singing soprano), and are still largely children. You start to see changes at 14, and by 15, most of them start looking more like men. By their senior year in HS (17-18) they are very much grown men.

[aikoaiko]

12. That driver would have had to be a strong and skilled fighter to break that up

without getting himself pummeled.

I'm not sure a cop would have jumped in because they would have used tazers or batons.

[geek tragedy]

15. I feel for the driver, nothing he could do.

Hopefully they can charge the three goons as adults and get them away from other kids for the next 6 years.

[LWolf]

17. It's true that public employees

are not supposed to lay hands on students. Not for disciplinary purposes.

It's also true that students who pose an imminent threat to themselves or others can be restrained.

That's kind of hard to do with three at once, but I sure as hell would have tried. I would have pulled them off and put my old, fat grandma self in between the beaters and the victim.

Let them turn it on me while we wait for help to arrive.

[GiaGiovanni]

18. Watching the video gave me pause

The attackers were relentless, and a 60-ish bus driver might have gotten himself killed.

[LWolf]

28. Maybe.

This 53 yo overweight grandma would still have intervened.

[GiaGiovanni]

29. I'd like to see you at work!

Also, I'm hiding behind you if I ever get on a bus with you.

[LWolf]

33. Something interesting to me:

I am the only female teacher my students have. The rest are all male, and all younger than I. I'm the gray-haired "old" lady.

I'm the teacher that never yells at them. Yet, I have the reputation of being the "strictest" and "toughest" in the building. ALSO the "fairest."

There's something about presence; about being calm confident, and strong, that registers.

It probably wouldn't register immediately in the middle of a high-adrenaline and high-testosterone event. I might take some blows.

I'm not THAT old, that I couldn't handle a few.

I think that it wouldn't take long for those 3, when attacking a grandmother who stands up to them, to back down.

I could at least hold them off the kid until help arrived, and then charge them with a double assault later.

Get behind me. I'll take care of you.

[GiaGiovanni]

34. That's something I wish I had

But don't.

[exboyfil]

27. The boy assaulted appears white

If the races were reversed would we be talking about a hate crime?

The victim may not be white the video is not very good. If the scenario was three white older children beating an African American child while a white bus driver did not intervene, would responses have been different.

Irrespective of being a hate crime every post is in agreement in charging these thugs to the full extent of the law. They should never be around other children in an uncontrolled setting ever again.

[GiaGiovanni]

30. The three 15-year olds were charged with felonies, but they're back with their parents

If I were the victim's parent, I'd be worried about sending him anywhere near that school.

[exboyfil]

38. I would assume expulsion

would have been part of the school's response (I would hope so).

[GiaGiovanni]

39. I don't know about expulsion. That's a good question.

I'll have to check.

[cigsandcoffee]

32. That there are differences in reactions to these events based only on skin tone....

...is undeniable and inarguable.


I guess the real question would be - is it fair?

[GiaGiovanni]

37. The victim was white and 13. The assailants were African American and 15

Is that what you mean?

[knitter4democracy]

42. There's more to the story:

The 13 y.o. had turned the three in earlier that day at school as drug dealers who'd tried to sell him drugs. They were sent home on the same bus. The administration should not have sent the kids home on the bus but made the parents come get them.

[exboyfil]

44. I agree totally

The administration screwed up royally and put the bus driver in a very difficult situation (not to mention horribly endangering a kid who did the right thing). Good luck ever getting a student to ever report drug deals in this school anymore. The administration proved they care less about their students than guards with their prisoners.

If I was a parent in this school district, I would want options. In Florida they do have an active online program, and stuff like this is probably a big reason for that.

The real scandal is not the bus driver, it is the administration that did not call the police or at least get those other boys home by a different way than the same bus.

[knitter4democracy]

45. There's no reason to give up on the school just yet.

Deal with the administrator, fix any policies that are problematic, and work on rebuilding relationships amongst the students and faculty so that everyone feels safe. This is fixable.

[exboyfil]

46. The three could just as easily jumped the boy

in the bathroom where there are no videocameras. No thank you - I would be pulling out my kid and not engaging in a social experiment jeopardizing her safety. I was a victim of constant abuse most of my school years, and I vowed to never let that happen to my daughters and it has not.

[knitter4democracy]

47. There would still be evidence.

I'm not saying don't protect the kids at that school by making sure those three aren't back. Those three will be spending a long time in juvvy, and even if they don't, the school can transfer them to an alternative program. There are ways to fix this.

Thing is, many administrators don't do what it takes to fix problems because they worry about lawsuits or parents or whatever. If there's no change, then pull your kids out.

I'm so sorry you went through that in school. It should never have happened, let alone for years, and I'm sorry that the adults in your school didn't do their jobs. As a teacher, I do everything I can to protect my students, but I've worked with people who just look the other way, and it's really frustrating sometimes.

[MrSlayer]

31. Three punk ass cowards.

Those dudes are heading for state prison in the near future and good riddance.

[exboyfil]

53. Not this time

Two of them have been recommended for probation. The third is awaiting a recommendation because of the theft.

[MrSlayer]

54. No but in the future.

Punks like that never change their ways.

[MillennialDem]

35. This fit 6'2, 200 33 year old trans woman would have intervened but almost certainly gotten the

crap beaten out of her.

3 on 1 is nearly impossible unarmed.

A 65 year old out of shape bus driver? No chance.

[exboyfil]

40. Here is more information

After the victim had accused two of the boys of dealing pot in the bathroom, the administration allowed the victim and those he accused to travel on the same bus.

Heads should roll in the administration as well.

Good reason for Homeschooling.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/22830273/2013/07/12/three-students-charged-in-bus-attack

[GiaGiovanni]

41. What the hell was the school thinking?

The story just gets worse and worse, doesn't it.

[knitter4democracy]

43. Just posted that upthread.

The administrator in charge of this dropped the ball big-time, and frankly, something should happen. You don't send kids who are dealing drugs home on the bus--you call parents to come pick them up if you don't have a case for calling the cops.

[HughBeaumont]

48. They should be charged with attempted murder. All three.

If you'd have seen this video, one minute more of repeated punches or a kick to the right spot in the head might have resulted in a cracked skull and cranial hemmorhage. Ever hear of the cases of the one-punch bar fights that resulted in a next-day death (one happened in Cleveland)? Same thing.

Attempted murder. This crap goes beyond just mere assault and sure as shit isn't the lame sweep-under-rug term known as "bullying".

[exboyfil]

52. Probation recommended for two of them

Because of the theft charge the prosecution is waiting on a recommendation for the third one.

Great message that sends.

[penultimate]

49. The bus driver would have had to have responded with a great amount of force for his action to be

effective and to prevent himself or others from being harmed further. Assuming he was even able to physically exert that sort of power onto the three he would likely have been in hot water for it. Imagine the outcry if he beat back those three thugs with the force required to get them stop. Him simply going back there and trying to lightly restrain them would not have served any purpose.

[DetlefK]

51. If you are old enough to kick somebody who's lying on the ground...

you are old enough to be punched in the face.