Letter to the Editor: Suggestions that could fix bus driver shortage

The school bus driver shortage has made front-page headlines throughout America’s newsrooms. But the journalists need to interview more current and former bus drivers to get the real skinny.

Now, I’ve never driven a school bus, but I’ve talked to several folks who have. All their accounts share the same basic theme: The kids are out of control.

The problem has evolved over the last several decades with a change in parenting (starting with either “helicopter” or “hands-off” parenting by the boomers and Generation X). Self-control is a learned skill instilled through swift and certain discipline or the threat thereof. When we take discipline out of the hands of competent adult authorities (parents, teachers, police, bus drivers, etc.), we end up with children who think they can say and do whatever they want with no consequences. Instead of giving kids tough love, we gave them rights.

So if you want more school bus drivers, here’s what we need to do:

• Every school bus needs two adults. One, the driver, who should be free to concentrate on driving safely in today’s aggressive- and distracted-driver craziness. And two, a school district employee strictly there to maintain good order. This person should be authorized to use all necessary force to create a safe environment.
• The bus crew should have total and final authority to restrict who gets on the bus. Problem kids should be referred to their parents for corrective action and can walk to school or find another way until their behavior has been fixed.
• Every school bus should be equipped with front- and rear-facing cameras. Any aggressors of serious fights, attacks or assaults should be referred to law enforcement.
• Offer higher pay commensurate proportionally with teacher salaries and with benefits.

John Ogorzalek

Dover