Posted on 12/14/2013 12:26:59 PM PST by moonshinner_09
A New Mexico school bus driver has been suspended after allegedly punching an 11-year-old boy in the face for watching a video on the ride home. The incident that left Karen and Scott Dickerson’s son with an injured forehead took place December 6 at the end classes at Eisenhower Middle School. Officials with the school district and Durham School Services that operates the bus said the driver has been placed on unpaid leave pending the results of an investigation.The injured sixth-grader's family said he has been having headaches and had trouble sleeping since being struck by the driver. According to a police report cited by the station KOB-4, the altercation happened aboard bus No. 203 at around 3pm in front of a half dozen middle schoolers. Dickersons' son and several other students were watching a video aboard the bus, which prompted the driver to blow his whistle in anger. The man then pulled over, got out of his seat and started yelling.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
There has to be WAY more to this story...
If this had happened to me, my parents would have thanked the bus driver and blamed me. Then again, we’re talking 60’s & 70s.
If the boy is having headaches and trouble sleeping, I sure hope the parents take him to a neurologist. Sounds like a concussion to me. As for punching an eleven year old boy for watching a video... no comment. Except to say that if it was my boy... the driver would have to watch his back.
Yes. I reserve comment on this one until ALL the facts are properly reported.
Absolutely. I drove a school bus for 2 years. The reason most schools have video cameras on buses now is for the protection of the driver and or aides. I got my first route because a group of "Christian" school kids burned a Bible on the bus the week before and the drive had a nervous breakdown.
I’m sure the parents will take him to a neurologist, after their visit with a lawyer.
Backinmyday(tm), there was an effort to hire older bus drivers with medical conditions, “hire the disabled” sort of thing, before it was fashionable.
If the kids started acting up, the driver would offer to show them their medical thing. Surprisingly effective. The girls would be grossed out, and the boys would be in awe.
I still remember one older woman driver with bursitis, who had golf ball sized swellings on her elbows.
I don’t know the whole story, but on the face of it the driver went overboard.
However, I wish some of these drivers had the gumption like this with those abusive kids, like the kids that were beating up that sole white boy. They NEED a beating, no matter how some of the wimps on that site say no 11yo should ever be socked by an adult. That is BS. Never say never.
I also think I agree with some of his other alleged actions.
And 1 starts to wonder what is wrong with the family if BOTH their kids have been hit? Are they raising them poorly?
“There has to be WAY more to this story...”
There’s going to have to be an awful lot more to justify punching a kid in the face.
This is assault, and even if one thinks that physical discipline is sometimes warranted that does not consist of punching in the face/head.
There are other places to let go with the corporal punishment than a kid’s head, places on the body that are made for it. Even if there IS more to the story...
Not enough information even at the link. Punching an 11 year old in the face on the surface seems way out of line. With no more info than I have I’d have to say that if I was the father, the driver would be talking with a high pitched voice and it would hurt when he pees. I’d be out on bail for assault charges.
Why is the bus driver’s identity being protected? Nobody’s race makes any difference here, wrong is wrong. The article says he was accused of hitting a little girl student as well, some months ago, and slamming his brakes while students were standing. This is someone who should have been fired many months ago. The district better get that checkbook out and be ready to write off couple thousand. Not the best publicity for the school either, who allowed the abusive driver to keep going.
There ALWAYS is, isn't there? My Spidey Sense tingled reading this line: "Dickersons' son and several other students were watching a video aboard the bus, which prompted the driver to blow his whistle in anger."
What sort of video? Were they playing it very loud and hooting and distracting the driver? How many is "several other students"? If "several" were watching the video, does that mean many of them were standing up while the bus was in motion? Did any of these "students" strike the driver prior to his alleged assault?
So many questions in a case like this. One clue is always how quickly the parents run to the cops and/or press to get out in front of the story before it's revealed their little angel had some culpability.
What did the kid do so wrong, (IF, IF, IF the story is reported correctly), here? What did the kid do that was so heinous that deserved a closed fist sock in the face by a grown man? I grew up a long time ago in a different America. If this had happened like reported, (ie: no gun, no knife presented by the kid at the driver thus a self defense type thing by that driver), that driver may well have been ‘disappeared’ by some of the local men folk.
I'm sure there is. Some yutes just need a hard backhand these days.
Actually a good guy overall, but you didn't mess with him.
I had to deal with something very similar back in 1992.
The only investigation needed was mine and the driver got 10X what my kids got.
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