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District says driver did more than flip the bird to Bush
Seattle Times ^ | Nov. 1, 2006 | David Postman

Posted on 11/02/2006 4:15:10 PM PST by IntelliQuark

The anecdote was widely reported and commented on in recent days, leading the Issaquah district to release a statement today saying it was not the only incident the driver had been involved in. The statement said:

"This incident has to do with the responsibility of an employee who is supervising students to act professionally and serve as a role model for appropriate behavior," Superintendent Janet Barry said.

After leaving the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the bus driver waited with a busload of middle school students on an onramp closed for the Presidential motorcade. The bus driver made an obscene gesture in the direction of the President's car when it passed by.

...

"This was part of a pattern of behavior with this particular bus driver, not an isolated incident," Barry said.

"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.

(Excerpt) Read more at blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bird; busdriver; driver; driverfired; finger; issaquah; schoolbusdriver
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The truth finally comes out, but it's not widely reported.

I searched, but didn't see this posted.

1 posted on 11/02/2006 4:15:11 PM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: IntelliQuark

Bump!


2 posted on 11/02/2006 4:23:16 PM PST by BlueAngel
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To: BlueAngel

After days of blaming Bush for having the "poor, innocent" driver fired, 99% of the people won't know that the driver has a pattern of making obscene gestures in front of the children, and his firing was justified.


3 posted on 11/02/2006 4:26:43 PM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: IntelliQuark
"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.

I would hope so. I don't care if it were Clinton that the driver made the obscene gesture to. They had kids on board that bus that didn't deserve to be subjected to obscene gestures.

4 posted on 11/02/2006 4:28:42 PM PST by DejaJude (Admiral Clark said, "Our mantra today is life, liberty and the pursuit of those who threaten it!")
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To: IntelliQuark

Thats how it always is when it comes to Republicans.


5 posted on 11/02/2006 4:28:56 PM PST by BlueAngel
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To: jude24; blue-duncan; xzins

The evidence mounts. Are you ready to conceed, grasshopper?


6 posted on 11/02/2006 4:30:11 PM PST by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: P-Marlowe
Ready to? No. Prepared to? Absolutely. Need more evidence. Right now, we have nothing more than unsubstantiated allegations of a "pattern."

If accurate, then, yes, I'll concede.

7 posted on 11/02/2006 4:33:30 PM PST by jude24 ("I will oppose the sword if it's not wielded well, because my enemies are men like me.")
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To: jude24

That was from the official statement released by the School District. Read the article.


8 posted on 11/02/2006 4:35:53 PM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: jude24; All

Here is the link to the Official Statement by the School District and the full text:

http://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district/news/release.asp?id=242


Issaquah School District
November 1, 2006

For more information:
Sara Niegowski (425) 837-7004

ISD terminates bus driver for misconduct
All school employees expected to model professional, appropriate behavior

The Issaquah School District terminated a bus driver for misconduct after she made an obscene gesture in front of students on June 16.

"This incident has to do with the responsibility of an employee who is supervising students to act professionally and serve as a role model for appropriate behavior," Superintendent Janet Barry said.

After leaving the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the bus driver waited with a busload of middle school students on an onramp closed for the Presidential motorcade. The bus driver made an obscene gesture in the direction of the President’s car when it passed by.

The District’s Director of Transportation was informed of the incident by her staff on the same day, and she began an investigation that ultimately ended in the driver’s termination.

"This was part of a pattern of behavior with this particular bus driver, not an isolated incident," Barry said.

Following the incident, Congressman Dave Reichert called Barry and told her that he and the President had seen the gesture. Barry said she personally knows Reichert from his days serving as King County Sheriff when they discussed school resource officers. Reichert called as a courtesy, Barry said.

"He never discussed his view or suggested what action he thought would be appropriate to take," Barry said. "He reported the incident believing—rightly—that I would want to know this occurred, that as a steward of children and public resources, one of my employees had acted inappropriately in her job capacity."

Barry reiterated that the decision to terminate the employee was not motivated by any political reason.

"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.


9 posted on 11/02/2006 4:39:15 PM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: IntelliQuark

I'd need to know more about the "pattern."


10 posted on 11/02/2006 4:43:50 PM PST by jude24 ("I will oppose the sword if it's not wielded well, because my enemies are men like me.")
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To: IntelliQuark
You should see some of the comments from readers! Typical liberal BS of "if the president does it, why can't we?"

Liberals with shifting moral codes piss me off

11 posted on 11/02/2006 4:45:50 PM PST by SoftballMominVA
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To: IntelliQuark

I saw a news note recently that 'politically correct' itself has been banned somewhere in Europe.


12 posted on 11/02/2006 4:48:21 PM PST by dhuffman@awod.com (The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.)
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To: IntelliQuark
"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.

Pattern or not, if a school system employee does this one time, they deserve to get the boot. IMHO.

13 posted on 11/02/2006 4:52:02 PM PST by floozy22
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To: jude24

"I'd need to know more about the "pattern."



You mean the official statement by the School District after an investigation is not good enough for you?

I bet you would want to know more, even if the driver had a file an inch thick with this kind of behavior, illustrated with photographs.

Don't you think the school district has enough sense that they wouldn't fire a person for just a one time thing? They would warn him, "discipline" him ( whatever that means -- put it in his personnel file, or give him a week off with no pay, whatever). They wouldn't just go and fire him, unless this was the last straw. They know the driver will sue and wouldn't put themselves into a position, unless they have a solid ground to stand on.


14 posted on 11/02/2006 4:52:20 PM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: IntelliQuark

--Don't you think the school district has enough sense that they wouldn't fire a person for just a one time thing?--

One time is all I would it would take for me to fire a school bus driver no matter who they flipped off. This is
a SCHOOL bus! What's hard to understand about that?


15 posted on 11/02/2006 5:05:24 PM PST by bkepley
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To: IntelliQuark

Typical. If the driver of a private vehicle flips the bird, that's their business, no matter to whom it is directed. Doing it in a company vehicel, or in this case a company vehicle and in the presence of children merits instant dismissal, whether he's targeting a President or someone who just cut him off in traffic.

There is no ambiguity in this case at all. He swas rightly sacked.


16 posted on 11/02/2006 5:21:17 PM PST by Androcles (All your typos are belong to us)
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To: IntelliQuark
after she made an obscene gesture

LOL!!! Women drivers...

17 posted on 11/02/2006 5:21:39 PM PST by 69ConvertibleFirebird (Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.)
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To: jude24; xzins; blue-duncan
Here's a nice fact pattern for you. Let's say this woman was stopped at a light with her busload of middle school children and had to wait while a gay pride parade procession marched by and while they were marching by she gave the participants the bird.

Should she be disciplined? Should she be fired? I say yes. What do you say?

Does she have a constitutional right to keep her job if, while employed as a bus driver for the school, she gives the finger to a group of homos?

I say no. What do you say?

18 posted on 11/02/2006 5:23:12 PM PST by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: DejaJude

"They had kids on board that bus that didn't deserve to be subjected to obscene gestures."

The school district should be investigated for not firing this moron the first time he demonstrated his idiocy in front of our schoolchildren.

Good grief...the world has gone mad.


19 posted on 11/02/2006 5:23:26 PM PST by goresalooza (Nurses Rock!)
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To: IntelliQuark
"If the bus driver had made the gesture to a driver who cut her off on a local road, we would have taken the same action," Barry said.

Sounds like the Dixie Chicks have found new jobs. I'm pretty sure that flipping off other motorists is now considered "road rage." I don't think we need female school bus drivers who have a "pattern" of "road rage."

20 posted on 11/02/2006 5:29:18 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (This just in! Islamofascists say they will not "change direction" after U.S. elections.)
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