Post by title1parent on Aug 25, 2009 5:14:12 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1732482,D204-sticking-with-First-Student_na082509.article
D204 sticking with First Student
August 25, 2009
By RUTH MOON AND HEATHER KRYCZKA For The Sun
Three appalling incidents involving Cincinnati-based First Student Inc. bus drivers were just glitches, and Indian Prairie School District 204 officials say they are not concerned about staying on board with the busing company again this school year.
"We're running 3 to 4 million miles of bus service per year, and the number of incidents — while there were a couple that made the news — is a pretty low level," said Curt Bradshaw, school board president. "Anything over one is unacceptable, but the reality is there's still a quality service that's being provided."
Three incidents involving First Student bus drivers rocked the busing system last year:
• On May 7, Claribeth de la Cruz, 13 and a student at Scullen Middle School, was kicked off a bus miles from her home and the school after she took a different after-school bus to stay at a family friend's house. When the bus driver and other students realized Claribeth wasn't a regular rider of that bus, the driver pulled the bus to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and began to question her. Claribeth didn't have a note from the school saying she should be on that bus — just a note from her mother. He told Claribeth the bus wouldn't move another inch until she got off it. "I think his exact words were, 'I don't care. If you don't have a note from school, you can't ride this bus," Beth de la Cruz, Claribeth's mother, told The Sun at the time. She declined to comment for this story.
• Later that day, District 204 bus driver Ned Musselman, 72, was fired after allegedly exposing himself to a fifth-grade girl on the bus route home from school. Musselman, who lives in an unincorporated area of DuPage County near Naperville, faces misdemeanor charges of sexual exploitation of a child and public indecency/lewd exposure. He is scheduled to appear in DuPage County Circuit Court today.
• In late May, First Student and Plainfield School District bus driver Mario Meschino, 41, was arrested on one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison. He was fired from his job with First Student. His case is pending in Will County Circuit Court.
But David Holm, assistant superintendent for business for the Indian Prairie School District, said First Student's track record of safety is one of the best in the world. The First America group, to which First Student belongs, won the 2009 Green Cross for Safety award from the National Safety Council, which works to prevent injuries throughout the U.S.
"You have to put it in perspective a little bit," Holm said. "Yes, we had some unfortunate situations, but if you look at their track record, it's pretty strong."
The bus company would not comment on the specific incidents in the Indian Prairie School District but highlighted the company's employment process, which includes a background check of driving, employment and criminal histories, as well as drug and alcohol screenings.
School district administrators did sit down with First Student to discuss last year's incidents, though, but it was in a regularly scheduled session to discuss performance.
"They know they had a rough end of year last year, and we all know that's unacceptable and can't continue," Holm said. "We've had those discussions, and I have every reason to believe they're serious about not letting it happen again."
There haven't been many parent complaints about the choice to keep First Student, Holm said. The school district will accept bids this year in a scheduled cycle to renew the busing contract, and First Student is welcome to bid again along with other busing companies.
The First America transportation group operates transit and maintenance services and owns the Greyhound bus system. The First Student arm of the company transports 4 million students every day, according to the company's Web site.
D204 sticking with First Student
August 25, 2009
By RUTH MOON AND HEATHER KRYCZKA For The Sun
Three appalling incidents involving Cincinnati-based First Student Inc. bus drivers were just glitches, and Indian Prairie School District 204 officials say they are not concerned about staying on board with the busing company again this school year.
"We're running 3 to 4 million miles of bus service per year, and the number of incidents — while there were a couple that made the news — is a pretty low level," said Curt Bradshaw, school board president. "Anything over one is unacceptable, but the reality is there's still a quality service that's being provided."
Three incidents involving First Student bus drivers rocked the busing system last year:
• On May 7, Claribeth de la Cruz, 13 and a student at Scullen Middle School, was kicked off a bus miles from her home and the school after she took a different after-school bus to stay at a family friend's house. When the bus driver and other students realized Claribeth wasn't a regular rider of that bus, the driver pulled the bus to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and began to question her. Claribeth didn't have a note from the school saying she should be on that bus — just a note from her mother. He told Claribeth the bus wouldn't move another inch until she got off it. "I think his exact words were, 'I don't care. If you don't have a note from school, you can't ride this bus," Beth de la Cruz, Claribeth's mother, told The Sun at the time. She declined to comment for this story.
• Later that day, District 204 bus driver Ned Musselman, 72, was fired after allegedly exposing himself to a fifth-grade girl on the bus route home from school. Musselman, who lives in an unincorporated area of DuPage County near Naperville, faces misdemeanor charges of sexual exploitation of a child and public indecency/lewd exposure. He is scheduled to appear in DuPage County Circuit Court today.
• In late May, First Student and Plainfield School District bus driver Mario Meschino, 41, was arrested on one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison. He was fired from his job with First Student. His case is pending in Will County Circuit Court.
But David Holm, assistant superintendent for business for the Indian Prairie School District, said First Student's track record of safety is one of the best in the world. The First America group, to which First Student belongs, won the 2009 Green Cross for Safety award from the National Safety Council, which works to prevent injuries throughout the U.S.
"You have to put it in perspective a little bit," Holm said. "Yes, we had some unfortunate situations, but if you look at their track record, it's pretty strong."
The bus company would not comment on the specific incidents in the Indian Prairie School District but highlighted the company's employment process, which includes a background check of driving, employment and criminal histories, as well as drug and alcohol screenings.
School district administrators did sit down with First Student to discuss last year's incidents, though, but it was in a regularly scheduled session to discuss performance.
"They know they had a rough end of year last year, and we all know that's unacceptable and can't continue," Holm said. "We've had those discussions, and I have every reason to believe they're serious about not letting it happen again."
There haven't been many parent complaints about the choice to keep First Student, Holm said. The school district will accept bids this year in a scheduled cycle to renew the busing contract, and First Student is welcome to bid again along with other busing companies.
The First America transportation group operates transit and maintenance services and owns the Greyhound bus system. The First Student arm of the company transports 4 million students every day, according to the company's Web site.