School bus brawl

[urbanlilyfairy]

I just came across this on Digg.com ... THis is basically a long video of some really uncalled for shit.

A 15 year old girl and bus driver get into it. It begins with the girl demanding to get off of the bus ....the driver tells the girl to calm down and go sit back down.

THe girl calls her mother ..the driver then talks to the mother ...the driver seems to put/throw the girls phone down ..and then the girl goes to grab her phone ...the driver it seems to me ....punches and pushes the girl back.

It's hard to tell ...but at this point is where it all seems to go insane ...and I begin to side with the girl and not the driver.

It ends with the driver pulling the girls hair and the daughter of the driver punching this girl as the driver is holding the girl down.. A friend of the girl tries to help ..eventually everyone gets off the emergency exit.

Its crazy ....at first i was like oh this girl needs to calm the fuck down ..but after watching the video a few times ...I feel like the driver should have just let the girl off the bus after talking to her mother or let the girl off and go with the friend and the friends mother that was outside the bus at the door baning on it.


the whole situation just pisses me off and also saddens me with the way kids are but damn if that was my me and the driver hit and pushed me ..I would have gone buck wild lol ..and really hurt that woman lol.

It looked to me even though the girl was screaming ..she seemed to try to restrain herself from hitting and pushing the driver back ..until the very end.


what do you all think ?


oh here is the link to video YouTube - School Bus Fight

 

[flowerhead]

christ :-0 pathetic behaviour on both sides...resorting to violence. though the girl was being a brat, i didn't feel sorry for her >:]

 

[MAC_Whore]

Agreed. They both were acting horribly.

The bus driver made the first mistake by not letting the girl off the bus. She didn't have the authority or training to physically restrain the girl. It all went to shit from that point on.

It may be against pollicy to let kids off the bus when they aren't at a designated stop, but cut your losses. If the student gets pushy or throws a tantrum, open the door, inform bus dispatch at the school and call the police for a wellness check.

That student...don't even get me started. What an over-dramatic, spoiled little shit. The bus driver should know better than to argue with a hormonal, bratty kid. The driver is the adult/authority figure in the situation and should act like it.

I love the dumb girl behind her who invites herself into the situation. What was the point of that? Someone needed attention, I guess.

All of those kids getting riled up reminded me of a troupe of monkeys fighting over food or something. A bunch of yelling and jumping around. Each person's shouting only made the next person's shouting louder.

I feel sorry for the kids on the bus who were genuinely scared.

 

[COBI]

Charges have been filed now:
PHOENIX — Police on Friday charged a driver with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct in connection with a brawl involving three students on an Arizona school bus, MyFoxPhoenix.com reported.
In addition, the 15-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, and the 14- and 16-year-olds were charged with disorderly conduct.

FOXNews.com - Arizona Driver, Students Charged in School Bus Fight - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

 

[user46]

idk... i'm definately with the girl on this one. not the bus driver.

 

[COBI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACpro__* idk... i'm definately with the girl on this one. not the bus driver.

I am in no way saying that the driver's actions were appropriate, but I am curious as to what led her to single this girl out initially. It didn't seem that anything "bad" was going on in the beginning. In general, though, I have to give the men and women who drive school buses a LOT of credit. It is not an easy job. From the stories that my friends tell (about their kids and buses), the commute is not what it was when I took a school bus (15 years ago). Children do seem to have a lot less respect for adults in charge (in general), and it is clear from the way this student talks to the driver even initially.

When I was that age, if I called my mother to say the bus driver was giving me a hard time, my mother's first reaction would have been to wonder what *I* was doing.

So, I still wonder, what caused the driver to single her out to begin with? Clearly the initial police investigation and subsequent charges against the driver AND the girl indicate that there may be more to the story than the video released.

 

[user79]

I def think in this scenario, the bus driver is in the wrong. If you listen to the vid in the very beginning, she says something like: "Why are you even on this bus? Don't you have another way to get to school?" to the girl. At which point the girl gets up and wants to get off. If the driver initiated such an aggressive conversation, (why would she do that anyway) clearly verbally attacking the girl, she should have let her get off. She has absolutely no authority to keep the girl in the bus.

 

[COBI]

"She has absolutely no authority to keep the girl in the bus."

From a newsfeedresearcher: Denise Birdwell, an HUSD assistant superintendent in charge of human resources, has said that drivers are not allowed to let students off at unauthorized stops - a policy meant to ensure that students get home and to school safely.

 

[Shimmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissChievous I def think in this scenario, the bus driver is in the wrong. If you listen to the vid in the very beginning, she says something like: "Why are you even on this bus? Don't you have another way to get to school?" to the girl. At which point the girl gets up and wants to get off. If the driver initiated such an aggressive conversation, (why would she do that anyway) clearly verbally attacking the girl, she should have let her get off. She has absolutely no authority to keep the girl in the bus.

Actually, in my school district she would. Not only authority, but responsibility, because the driver is responsible for not only driving the bus, but making sure the kids riding the bus do so within the rules of being on the bus and that they get off at the right stop safely.

 

[user79]

Oh ok, well I didn't know that rule. But what if the kid INSISTS he or she wants to get off. In this case, the driver started the argument, asking her why she was even riding that bus. Why would she do that? Very irresponsible and shows she's not suitable for that job. She also was the one who started getting physical, wrong move big time! If some crazy bus driver was to start laying a finger on me, I also think I would have reacted very strongly. Totally out of place...When people get angry, they don't think clearly. I agree that situation could have been diffused if it had been handled differently, but imo the driver is the adult and needs to take charge of the situation appropriately, it would have been better to just let her off the bus to stop the altercation, instead of getting physical with her.

In that situation, how was she looking after the girl's safety? It would have been more safe to let her off, and to end the altercation immediately. The girl was more "unsafe" on the bus, than being let off at an unofficial stop.

 

[COBI]

But from the news reports I can find, the whole thing started with the bus driver asking the girl to stay in her seat and stop touching the boy in front of her. Reports state that the only reason she stopped the bus was because the girl was not listening.

Of course, this doesn't seem to relate to the first 15 seconds or so of the video where it appears nothing is going on.

Also, we have no idea how safe the area was to let the girl off the bus. In the end, it was the girl who pushed the physical confrontation. The driver was not approaching the girl; the girl came towards the bus driver to try to get off the bus. The bus driver blocked her physically, and then the girl started telling the woman to stop touching her.

Some children really do know how to escalate things for attention (which on many sites, the *girl* is being accused of). I remember when my mother was teaching Catechism/CCD; one year, they took the 4th (or 3rd) grade classes on a tour of the church. Part of this included behind the altar, etc. Anyway, one of the boys ran into the storage room where the furnace,etc. was. When the adults tried to get him out of the storage room, he started screaming "rape". Where do kids learn these things and that such behavior is acceptable?

Again, I do not condone the physical altercation, but I also do not hold the girl harmless.

 

[tomodachi_usagi]

ahhh good ol arizona makes me realize why i left the dumb state.. they were both wrong. but if the girl wasnt supposed to be on that bus anyway why was she not able to get off? thats AZ rationalization for you... damn i hate phoenix.

 

[CantAffordMAC]

Wow.

Ummmm first of all, yes the student was kind of bratty, but I honestly don't really see where she was at fault. She didn't seem to be doing anything wrong from what i can see. The bus driver stopped the bus because she was talking too loud?? Thats ridiculous. The girl didn't have to go crazy and say she wanted to get off of the bus....I know that bus drivers aren't supposed to let kids off the bus unless its their stop. If the girl was being out of control, let her off and notifiy someone (she would have gotten into a lot less trouble than she's in now) or just don't stop the bus. You can't jump out of a moving bus--I'm sure the girl would've sat back down and calmed down if the bus just kept going.

Teenagers act dumb sometimes. We all know that. but I don't see how anyone is calling this girl spoiled and calling her names. I have been in many situations with teachers that have escalated. Because I was 15 and showing off for the class---its not unheard of lol. I'm sure a lot of us here have showed off and acted like a brat when we were younger.

That bus driver was out of line on damn near every thing she did. She shouldn't have stopped the bus for such a dumb reason. My bus has been stopped in the past for horseplay and people walking around, but never for just talking. If anything, we were warned. She needs to evaluate her position and learn what to do in such a situation...I really think that if she kept moving there wouldn't have been a problem. It seems like she initiated the whole thing.

Why did she throw the girls cell phone twice, when the girl wanted her to talk to her mom? That is so disrespectful. I would've told the bus driver the same thing--"Bitch, you're going to pay for my phone if its broken." She shouldn't have touched the girls stuff that way. I think the girl did the right thing...she called her mom to let her know what was going on. She wasn't even cursing to begin with. I give her respect because knowing me and my anger I would've been cursing up a storm and disrespecting the shit out of that bus driver. That girl showed some self control (could've done a little better) but considering her age and the situaiton, I applaud her. And the girl behind her should've done something when she was attacked but i guess she was in shock. I like the fact that the boys and the rest of the students on the bus stood up for her...good for them.

The bus driver should have never put her hands on the girl. I can't even believe that fight happened. The bus driver and her daughter are fucking psychos and they will be locked up together someday.

What I can't figure out is at the end of the video when the girl is screaming and yelling "Stop hitting me" I couldn't see anyone hitting her and her friend was freaking out too. Can anyone explain that?

With all that being said: Thank GOD I'm not in school anymore.

 

[kimmy]

both of them acted inappropriately. the other kids who got involved were just being ridiculous, too. somebody needs a bottle of chill pills.

 

[*Stargazer*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COBI I am in no way saying that the driver's actions were appropriate, but I am curious as to what led her to single this girl out initially. It didn't seem that anything "bad" was going on in the beginning. In general, though, I have to give the men and women who drive school buses a LOT of credit. It is not an easy job. From the stories that my friends tell (about their kids and buses), the commute is not what it was when I took a school bus (15 years ago). Children do seem to have a lot less respect for adults in charge (in general), and it is clear from the way this student talks to the driver even initially. When I was that age, if I called my mother to say the bus driver was giving me a hard time, my mother's first reaction would have been to wonder what *I* was doing. So, I still wonder, what caused the driver to single her out to begin with? Clearly the initial police investigation and subsequent charges against the driver AND the girl indicate that there may be more to the story than the video released.

The part I bolded is PRECISELY why we get stuff like this happening these days. A LOT of parents now can't even begin to contemplate the idea that their precious little baby could possibly be in the wrong. There is not enough money in the world to pay me to work with kids these days.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

So, first of all the bus driver had a right to refuse to let her off the bus if it wasn't her stop, but she shoved her initially. The girl was being whiny and bratty, but she never touched that woman according to this tape. That bus driver had absolutely NO right to push that girl, regardless of how much of a pain she was being. And the girl called her mother and offered to let the driver speak to her, which would have allowed her to let the girl off of the bus. If you look, the driver shoved and hit that girl repeatedly during what was a verbal confrontation. Things wouldn't have gotten out of hand if she'd been an adult and tried to resolve it without touching her.

Apparently the bus driver's daughter rode the bus. She had NO reason to get involved. Her mom clearly assaulted that girl, who then fought back, from what I can see. And she got up and jumped on that girl for nothing. You can hear the girl screaming "Get off of me, you're hurting me." over and over and over, and she sounds terrified. That entire thing was uncalled for and I can't believe those students are being charged and not that goddamn bus driver. No adult in a position of authority who is responsible for the lives of children should be handling a child like that. She shouldn't be allowed to drive a school bus or ever work with children period. So what if the girl was being a brat or a pain in the ass? That's something you fucking sign up for when you agree to work for a school district, whether it's in the classroom or driving a bus.

Unfucking believable.

When I was in 4th grade, we had the meanest bus driver. One day a kid gave him attitude, I can't remember what for, but what I clearly remember was the driver stopping the bus, grabbing the boy by his shirt collar, shaking him and calling him a "little motherfucker" before dropping him back into the seat. The busdriver was NOT a driver after that. As I heard, he was arrested and charged with a minor assault charge (not so minor considering it was a 30 year old vs. a 10 year old), lost his license, and can not take a job with the San Diego Unified School District, not even to be a fucking janitor. I was terrified and never rode the bus again.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CantAffordMAC What I can't figure out is at the end of the video when the girl is screaming and yelling "Stop hitting me" I couldn't see anyone hitting her and her friend was freaking out too. Can anyone explain that? With all that being said: Thank GOD I'm not in school anymore.

The camera on the bus is mounted on the overhang that encloses where the driver sits and the stairs where people board and get off of the bus. If that girl pushed her close to the windsheild or the area upfront where the stairs were, there's no way the camera could have seen it because it's positioned to look straight ahead and only sees the actually area where students are sitting.
It looked like the busdriver hit the girl again, and she got on her in self defense, possibly into the driver's seat area which is completely out of the camera's frame. When the driver's daughter went up to get in, she looked like she pulled the girl off the driver and to the left, which is probably where the stairs are, again out of the camera's frame, which is why you could hear her scream but couldn't see what happened to her.

And I think that's unfortunate. If they're going to put camera's on buses, they need to put them where everything can be seen. The back corner of the bus is a better place, because it sees everything including the driver's seat. That's how the new buses in our school district are designed, because you are able to see the actions of the kids on the bus and the driver as well as who gets on and off to claim children.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COBI Also, we have no idea how safe the area was to let the girl off the bus. In the end, it was the girl who pushed the physical confrontation. The driver was not approaching the girl; the girl came towards the bus driver to try to get off the bus. The bus driver blocked her physically, and then the girl started telling the woman to stop touching her.

You're kidding. She walked toward the front of the bus, so that made it okay for that woman to shove her? It's one thing to block her, like stand in the way and if the girl gets physical use PROPER restraint, but she pushed her back, she used force. That's not okay for an adult to do to a child. I worked with kids for two years, and we've had kids get violent off-site and on the buses, there are proper ways to restrain a child, you don't shove them. Especially at the chest, like she did.

 

[COBI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 You're kidding. She walked toward the front of the bus, so that made it okay for that woman to shove her? It's one thing to block her, like stand in the way and if the girl gets physical use PROPER restraint, but she pushed her back, she used force. That's not okay for an adult to do to a child. I worked with kids for two years, and we've had kids get violent off-site and on the buses, there are proper ways to restrain a child, you don't shove them. Especially at the chest, like she did.

Again, I am not condoning the physical altercation; however, I do not hold the girl harmless nor do the police.

And perhaps one of the things that is missing in school bus driver training is how to properly restrain out of control children? We are not talking about someone trained in child education, psychology or restraint; she is a regular person working by transporting children back and forth to school.

I would love to hear some recommendations for how you think the bus driver should have handled this. I would not describe her pushing as a "use of force" because when I watch it, there is no aggression or strength in the initial block from getting off the bus. (At the very end, you can hear the bus driver saying "where was my help?") She then immediately went to contact the dispatch and the *girl* came back for more confrontation. The driver did not go after the girl; the girl kept coming to the front of the bus.

Keeping in mind that at this point, she can not allow her off the bus. So, to avoid any physical contact, should she let the inmates run the asylum? The main fight started with the driver appearing to try to keep the girl from going into the driver seat area of the bus to retreive the phone; again, I am sure there are a hundred safety and common sense reasons to not allow a girl into this area where it was imperative to block access. Clearly asking the girl to sit back down was not working. I don't think it was force so much as an attempt to block access; the "force" came from Sammy herself continuing to try to push through the physical block.

The girl at the end seems to support the theory that the bus driver did not display the violence that Sammy was screaming was occurring.

Many of the things the girl screams about aren't viewable which is what reminded me of the boy yelling "rape" in the church storage room that I mentioned.

For me, the driver was offering resistance against Sammy exiting the bus versus shoving/punching/"groping" her as Sammy wants everyone to think. If you watch the entire video, the driver maintains her cool for the most part considering this girl is screaming in her face and putting her finger in her face. The girl is at points laughing at her spotlight. She even taunts "temper tantrum? I'll show you a temper tantrum" and repeats numerous times that "I'll sue you". That's the world we live in; we raise children to overindulgent and with a sense of entitlement (you will do what I say) and little respect for others.

I've even seen friends do this: the child comes home saying a teacher said "xyz" and right away, they start telling the child "teacher has no right to say that; etc." All you've effectively done is tell your child that the teacher has no authority based on a single-side of the story and likely a version that is being told out of context. It's interesting because there have been times when I've witnessed this, and I personally attempt to get the story around the isolated incident, and it 99.99% has turned out to be a lot less sensational than the first version of the story relayed by the child.

 

[Loveleighe]

Regardless of that girl being a brat. I'm sorry being the adult esp. an adult who has a child of the same age, the bus driver could've avoided all of this by not singling her out, not shoving and pushing her continously, and not taking her phone .... she should of just let her off it was a designated stop. I mean I can see why ppl would say the girl is at fault, But i always just assumed that being a mature responsible adult meant having to tolerate immature, spoiled childish behavior. So regardless of the girl's behavior, the bus driver should've handled it better. And then the fact that her and her child jump the girl like WTF, would you want your child to be treated this way by someone responsible for their safety?!