Upon hearing about a school bus crash that sent eight South Greene students were sent to the hospital, the school principal sprinted out the door and ran up the hill to the scene of the accident — a SUV crashed head-on into the bus that was carrying 30 students. Authorities reported that without the quick reactions of the bus driver, “It would’ve been a fatality crash,” said a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer. If the bus driver hadn’t slammed on the brakes just before the crash, officials believe the bus would “have run off to the right, she would’ve went down the embankment and caused a lot more injuries for other kids involved.”
Jason Santo boarded the Pennsylvania-area bus wearing a black cloak, a “Scream” mask and carrying a fake knife. He screeched at the students aboard the bus and then ran away. Santo claimed it was a prank, adding he’s friends with a student on the bus he was trying to scare. Authorities see the incident in a different light, police charging the 19-year-old man with disorderly conduct and unauthorized school bus entry. Santo was caught after someone followed the school bus intruder to his home and alerted authorities.
A video taken on an onboard camera from a school bus shows a disturbing sight: a student in a wheelchair tip over and crash to the floor. “To see our child who is so vulnerable and helpless, to see her tip over like that, it was absolutely heartbreaking,” said the student’s mother. The Kent School District has apologized, a spokesperson claiming the bus driver failed to properly secure the wheelchair. “We’re very regretful this happened, and we are very apologetic,” said the spokesperson. “This was wrong. It did not meet our standards, and we’re going to work to make sure it never happens again.” The mother thinks that more needs to be done to ensure the safety of students with special needs. She has proof showing this was not the first time her child has been injured at school, believing this is more than a school bus issue, it’s an issue regarding the safety of special needs students throughout the district. “I just don’t want anybody else to have to go through this,” said the mother.
West Virginia has become the latest state to increases fines for drivers who illegally pass school buses as Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed Senate Bill 13 into law. The bill enables law enforcement to use license plates to identify drivers who illegally pass school buses if the driver’s face cannot be recognized. On a first offense, drivers could be guilty of a misdemeanor, fined $250 to $500, imprisoned up to six months and could lose their licenses 30 days. On a second offense, financial penalties increase to $500 to $1,000 in fines and 90 days’ license suspension. A third will warrant a $1,000 fine, from two days to six months in jail and 180 days of license suspension. If someone is hurt or killed, willfully breaking the law would be a felony and guaranteed prison time of one to 10 years, plus stiffer fines. The bill becomes law on July 1.
