“Schools do not own the kids. Parents are in charge, not government agents who are suppose to work for them.”
If only this were true. But unfortunately, while the kids are on school property under the care of school officials, those officials can legally act in loco parentis as if they really are the parents, and the bio parents have no legal recourse.
The core of the problem in this bus situation is that the School sees a minimum-wage bus driver with minimal training who doesn’t care one bit in all likelihood about those children, is considered “in charge” and “responsible” and more “qualified” to make sure the youngsters get with the correct parent than are the non-special-ed kids who have grown up with their parents their whole lives (at least 5 years so far) and the parents who have raised them and have every dimple and freckle memorized and have invested at least 5 years of blood, sweat, tears and money into their well-being and who love them more than anyone else on the planet.
Not that I think the parents acted well at all times. I think their panic definitely contributed to their children’s cries and feelings of panic. Certainly they should have watched their mouths around all those kids. Definitely no one should have laid a hand on the bus driver no matter what. I really don’t know to what extent I blame the bus driver. He was in all likelihood following protocol as he was trained (at least until he started to drive away). The problem is clearly with the policy (see paragraph 2 above)
I was under the impression that it has been ruled that vehicles are not considered “property” like a house.