A Viewer Writes: Bullying by a public school bus driver
This story needs to be shared. Parents, teachers and the adults we trust to be a good role model for our children. This is my granddaughter, she's 15 years old and is in high school. Today her bus driver changed her seat on the bus home. She's an amazing young lady, however, she has Albinism. This is a genetic disorder where both parents must carry the gene. It affects her skin color and hair color with no pigmentation. But it also affects her eyes. Without pigmentation she can't see like we do. So, back to the bus. When she got on the bus to come home, after trying to memorize the boy the driver sat her next to all day in school, she couldn't find her seat, or the boy with the jacket. He had removed his jacket during the day. So she stood in the aisle for a few moments until the bus driver yells " ARE YOU STUPID! CAN'T YOU SEE HE IS RIGHT THERE!!" The entire bus was full of students. I am 100% furious about this. She's above average in every class, even taking architecture through Salisbury University. Now, my beautiful granddaughter does not want to go to school anymore. Her demeanor and personality has completely changed. This bus driver's name is Ms. Laws for Wicomico County Schools. And she needs to not be around our children! This child is the sweetest, kind, funny and smartest of any child I know. Even drawing attention to WBOC on a special story called 'skin deep' . Her Albinism IS only skin deep but ignorant comments and belittling people leave deep, deep scars.
tell her to keep her head up. this type of thing will happen to everyone. The bus driver does need some extra training but i don't think anything else would be necessary. She is a beautiful girl and will shine, but again, just tell her to keep her head up and ignore the haters.
Stupid people need to keep their stupid remarks to themselves. Yes, she is a beautiful girl and hate that this happened to her, however, she needs to learn that there are ignorant, stupid people in this world that say stupid, ignorant things. Keep on going and keep your head high, you have done nothing wrong. Just keep on going like the energizer bunny.
I know how you feel. My son gets bullyied by his bus driver and the kids on the bus. My son has autism. I,have called the BOE and talked to Mr. Smoke and Mr. Hughes and they refuse to do anything about it. They actually kicked my son off the bus because he told the bullies to "Shut up and leave him alone." and nothing happened to anyone else. This is in Wicomico County. Its sad we can't even feel,safe anymore sending our kids to school. Your grandaught is beautiful. You and your grandaughter are in my prayers.
If Wicomico county will not get off thier ass and do what's right then maybe try the state board. Or your congressman. Wicomico has never done what's right with bullies. People need to he fired .
6:52, Please let me clear something up for you and the rest of our viewers.
The Wicomico County Council and or Executive can do NOTHING to the Board of Education. They, (BOE) are autonomous.
The only thing they can do is cut their funding, that's it. However, no one will ever be willing to cut their funding, (making the BOE accountable for certain actions) because it's considered political suicide.
The ONLY way you are going to see CHANGE is by coming to Salisbury News and anyone else willing to put what most local news sources are too afraid to publish.
If people wonder why we have grown to literally millions of hits every year, this is exactly why. We truly inform the public and YOU get to express your true thoughts.
sue them all. easy peasy. that's why this lady is a bus driver, no intelligence. Tell your granddaughter not to worry about all the losers out there. keep her head up and move forward!
Talk about intelligence haha! can't sue for every little thing! But that's all people want now is to sue! Being a bus driver takes a lot of effort! & intelligence is involved because you have to learn how to drive a big bus and look up at the kids while driving!
If I was the contractor she worked for it would be a no brainer to have to let her go even if I had to drive the route myself. This is unacceptable, there is no excuse for treating any child that way. Fine if you want to treat adults like that, they don't have to deal with with it, but what choice does the child have, if she were my grand child believe me I would drive her to school everyday so she would not have to deal with such an ignorant person.
Lol at someone of y'all complaining parents , saying y'all having the same Issue with the bus drivers! Y'all fail to realize some things! What about kids & the parents bullying the bus drivers! & parents coming up to the kids bus saying stupid stuff! The cameras catch everything! Some of y'all swear y'alls kids do no wrong , but cameras don't lie!
If the kids or parents are "bullying" the bus driver than the bus driver needs to or something but that still doesn't give the bus driver the right to bully the kids. If the bus driver has a problem with a parent then they need to confront the parent. Cameras they don't matter because the only ones that see them are the BOE and the driver. They can say whatever they want to say. I have even been told before by the BOE that the tapes "disappeared" Now how does that happen. Cameras are sometimes no help.
They can't confront the parent too much because then some parents Always threaten the driver saying " im going to have your job" drivers have to try and be professional in situations
Sorry, Joe, but the County Council cannot cut the funding of the BOE. The Council only acts as a pass-through for state monies. The budget is approved and funded at the state level, not local. It can add to the BOE budget with local funds, but it cannot remove or refuse any funding.
1203 and 949, you both do realize that Y'all is not a real word. It's slang and bad slang at that as it makes a one sound like some Southern idiot. Just saying...
I think the bus driver should definitely go through an intense investigation and be fired if deemed necessary by an outside source. That being said, the mason dixon line doesn't actually extend to the ocean. Stops near the corner of Delaware. The stone marking it is near the corner of delmar rd and 50. I know I'm annoying lol
Actually Maryland is a border state of the South and North. Hence why there were so many confederates & union armies in the region during Civil War. Y'all is a Deep South slang cultivated in regions like southern VA, GA and the Carolinas. MD is NOT A DEEP SOUTH state. Sorry but you're the ones that sound like you're trying to be something you're not!
If she was black, the driver would have been suspended immediately, and she would be in the process of being fired already. The schools administrators are as racist as the rest of our government.
7:16. You see the ignorance here. They have no idea what albinism is. So sorry u have to deal w this. There is a transportation office at the board who hire and fire drivers. Reach out to them
To the comment "That is why she is a bus driver - she has no intelligence" - this is a very rude and wrong thing to say. There are many wonderful bus drivers taking care of our children two times a day. This particular driver needs to be made aware of what she has done to this child, I agree. I give a shout out to my child's bus driver, Ms. W. Goslee and to the many others that have the patience to take care of our children. Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole basket. I hope this child gets the encouragement she needs to hold her head high and move past this unfortunate incident.
Wow, bus drivers have a hard job as well as teachers, etc. But you do not have the right to talk to a child like that!!!! My daughter and other kids rode her and her husbands buses yrs ago. They are mean!!!!
When school started, did you inform the bus driver of her issues and needs. It may seem simple to you, but I doubt the driver had any idea that she has vision issues unless she was told. The Driver should still be polite, there's never any call to scream at a child.
To those who think driving a bus, van, etc is easy, imagine trying to keep a whole group of kids physically and emotionally safe while driving a piece of heavy equipment while things are coming at you from all directions. It's not an easy task.
Who has a child that's legally blind ride the school bus? Wicomico County provides services to students with disabilities on a separate route, have you told administrators, Transportation Officals. Honestly it just shows that you have told anyone about your child's disability cause they would of offered a special bus for the student. Yes. I have seen this girl at Parkside High school and with Mrs. Piney in leadership don't expect a lot of change.
Its my child, and yes she does ride the regular bus. Up until this year, she always sat behind the bus driver. This arrangement has worked beautifully throughout elementary and middle school. It has been since she started Parkside that the bus driver changed her seat. She can see shapes and shadows since birth. Anything further than 2 feet is a blur to her. Kindness is hard to find. She never asks for help, she's been pretty independent. But also note, she has never been exposed to this type of behaviour.
No honey, no special bus was offered to us. I'm not letting this slid by. She is entitled to transportation to and from school without being belittled, yelled at or bullied. This fight isn't just for her, it's for every child that has been or potentially will be exposed to this type of abuse by an adult. Not acceptable by any means.
I will say that bus drivers have a difficult job but it is totally unprofessional to yell, scream or belittle children especially those with disabilities. My children no longer ride the bus in wicomico county because of this reason. My son is Autistic and a few years ago he wasn't very verbal. The bus driver was made aware of this when my child first started riding the bus. I had my older son who rode the bus also and would come home and report how this bus driver was treating my youngest son. I suggested that she allow the boys to sit together and she refused because she said she doesn't allow the older children to be with the younger children. The last thing that happened was that she told my son with autism to move to another seat and he really didn't understand what she was saying. So she decided to scream in his face are you stupid and don't understand English. When this was reported to the BOE they said they looked at the tape and talked to her and she thought my son was Hispanic and didn't understand English. From that day forth this is going on the third year that I have been driving my children to school. Something has to be done about the treatment of our children.
7:41 Just because someone is legally blind doesn't mean they can't see certain things. She has learned to adapt in certain situation with her disability. That is a lot more than some people would do!
There are some excellent bus drivers in Wicomico County, and there are some that talk to the kids like dirt on the bottom of their shoes. It's inexcusable for any adult to speak to a child the way this driver did, especially when she was told that the girl is legally blind. She doesn't need to be on a special bus; if she did, the school would have put her on one. It is shameful that no one from the Board of Education has returned this lady's calls. They could pull some of the bus tapes to determine if she calls the girl "wicked white witch" and if she called her stupid. They don't WANT to deal with these sorts of things because it's difficult to find bus drivers. The Board of Education should be ASHAMED of their lack of attention to this issue. I thought Dr. Hanlin was going to "fix" these kinds of issues (no call backs, etc.)???
There are "special" buses for disabled students. They are the 500 series buses you may notice on the road. If she's done well for all these years on a "regular" bus, I'm sure she would be fine this year as well - if the driver would treat her with respect and allow her to sit on the front seat! I truly hope the Board of Education sees the importance of getting this problem resolved. There is absolutely no excuse for the things that driver said to your daughter!
So instead of getting a story out there about bullying by a bus driver you're saying stop complaining about the bullying, let it keep sliding so other kids can keep being bullied (I know you see the multiple comments that this isn't the first time the Laws have done this to children, and take them to school. You're a special kind of stupid aren't you
Bus drivers don't have time to bully kids ? What kind of perfect world do you live in? & CNAs don't have time to abuse the elderly, & rapists don't have time to rape victims. ANYONE can be a bully , believe it or not! Do you not watch the news & see the crazy mess that goes on behind closed doors ? I pray you don't have anyone you know suffering from a disability that they are not strong enough to stand up to someone more superior than them to. But like I said, you must've only commented to put your two cents in because multiple people on this post have said they went thru the same issues with the SAME bus drivers. What a coincidence
We do not have the luxury to provide transportation for her. However, My property taxes say they go to schools in the county among other things. How would that better the situation. From what I have read about this bus driver she's been getting away for years bullying children she promised to do her best to protect.
I am sorry to hear your grand daughter went through this. I know exactly how you feel as my 10 year old daughter has albinism too. It affects her hair, skin and eyes as well. It's a constant struggle for them to just feel accepted and when something negative like this happens, it takes a while to get their confidence back. Sending hugs and prayers to you.
Kierra is one of my bestest friends. It really angers me that someone so close minded would say such a thing to her. I hope I can see her again and give her a big hug. Tell her I love her and to keep her head high, because she is an amazing and smart person and doesn't let her disease hold her back. -Stephenie
As I sit and read these posts and the story I wonder.....this bus driver is being accused...and tried on this website...their name is now released and drug in the mud.....were is the other side of this story? I didn't see it here.....oh that is the usual way the stories here go..no I'm not defending the bus driver as a parent myself I'm sure this is a difficult story....but let's remember there are two sides to this story....I'd like to see both before passing judgment....
I had Mrs. Laws as my bus driver back in the early 2000s when I was in elementary school. Looks like nothing has changed, as she treated students the exact same way back then. The woman needs to retire or something, because dealing with children clearly isn't her forte.
tell her to keep her head up. this type of thing will happen to everyone. The bus driver does need some extra training but i don't think anything else would be necessary. She is a beautiful girl and will shine, but again, just tell her to keep her head up and ignore the haters.
ReplyDeleteI hope you also wrote a letter to BOE and whoever the contractor is she works for.
ReplyDeleteStupid people need to keep their stupid remarks to themselves. Yes, she is a beautiful girl and hate that this happened to her, however, she needs to learn that there are ignorant, stupid people in this world that say stupid, ignorant things. Keep on going and keep your head high, you have done nothing wrong. Just keep on going like the energizer bunny.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. My son gets bullyied by his bus driver and the kids on the bus. My son has autism. I,have called the BOE and talked to Mr. Smoke and Mr. Hughes and they refuse to do anything about it. They actually kicked my son off the bus because he told the bullies to "Shut up and leave him alone." and nothing happened to anyone else. This is in Wicomico County. Its sad we can't even feel,safe anymore sending our kids to school. Your grandaught is beautiful. You and your grandaughter are in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteIf Wicomico county will not get off thier ass and do what's right then maybe try the state board. Or your congressman. Wicomico has never done what's right with bullies. People need to he fired .
ReplyDelete6:52, Please let me clear something up for you and the rest of our viewers.
ReplyDeleteThe Wicomico County Council and or Executive can do NOTHING to the Board of Education. They, (BOE) are autonomous.
The only thing they can do is cut their funding, that's it. However, no one will ever be willing to cut their funding, (making the BOE accountable for certain actions) because it's considered political suicide.
The ONLY way you are going to see CHANGE is by coming to Salisbury News and anyone else willing to put what most local news sources are too afraid to publish.
If people wonder why we have grown to literally millions of hits every year, this is exactly why. We truly inform the public and YOU get to express your true thoughts.
sue them all. easy peasy. that's why this lady is a bus driver, no intelligence. Tell your granddaughter not to worry about all the losers out there. keep her head up and move forward!
ReplyDeleteTalk about intelligence haha! can't sue for every little thing! But that's all people want now is to sue! Being a bus driver takes a lot of effort! & intelligence is involved because you have to learn how to drive a big bus and look up at the kids while driving!
DeleteI can tell it isn't easy when bus 38 flies past my house at 55+ miles per hour on a 25mph road.
DeletePost a pic of the fine driver thatvwill shame his A.. since the BOE Will do nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf I was the contractor she worked for it would be a no brainer to have to let her go even if I had to drive the route myself. This is unacceptable, there is no excuse for treating any child that way. Fine if you want to treat adults like that, they don't have to deal with with it, but what choice does the child have, if she were my grand child believe me I would drive her to school everyday so she would not have to deal with such an ignorant person.
ReplyDeleteLol at someone of y'all complaining parents , saying y'all having the same Issue with the bus drivers! Y'all fail to realize some things! What about kids & the parents bullying the bus drivers! & parents coming up to the kids bus saying stupid stuff! The cameras catch everything! Some of y'all swear y'alls kids do no wrong , but cameras don't lie!
ReplyDeleteIf the kids or parents are "bullying" the bus driver than the bus driver needs to or something but that still doesn't give the bus driver the right to bully the kids. If the bus driver has a problem with a parent then they need to confront the parent. Cameras they don't matter because the only ones that see them are the BOE and the driver. They can say whatever they want to say. I have even been told before by the BOE that the tapes "disappeared" Now how does that happen. Cameras are sometimes no help.
DeleteThey can't confront the parent too much because then some parents Always threaten the driver saying " im going to have your job" drivers have to try and be professional in situations
DeleteShe should be canned!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry, Joe, but the County Council cannot cut the funding of the BOE.
ReplyDeleteThe Council only acts as a pass-through for state monies. The budget is approved and funded at the state level, not local.
It can add to the BOE budget with local funds, but it cannot remove or refuse any funding.
What bus number it is
ReplyDelete38
DeleteYall parents want everything your way smh! Lol
ReplyDelete1203 and 949, you both do realize that Y'all is not a real word. It's slang and bad slang at that as it makes a one sound like some Southern idiot. Just saying...
ReplyDeleteGet out your dictionary genius. Last time I checked Maryland was south of the Mason Dixon line. You might need to look that up too!!
DeleteI think the bus driver should definitely go through an intense investigation and be fired if deemed necessary by an outside source. That being said, the mason dixon line doesn't actually extend to the ocean. Stops near the corner of Delaware. The stone marking it is near the corner of delmar rd and 50. I know I'm annoying lol
DeleteThe majority of the state of Maryland is below the Mason Dixon line. And YES, YOU ARE ANNOYING.
DeleteThat doesn't mean we all are ignorant. I hate hearing southern eastern shore. Yep slave plantations were here. Terrible history
DeleteActually Maryland is a border state of the South and North. Hence why there were so many confederates & union armies in the region during Civil War. Y'all is a Deep South slang cultivated in regions like southern VA, GA and the Carolinas. MD is NOT A DEEP SOUTH state. Sorry but you're the ones that sound like you're trying to be something you're not!
DeleteParents these days are crazy anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy child has a disability. That doesn't make me crazy.
DeleteIf she was black, the driver would have been suspended immediately, and she would be in the process of being fired already. The schools administrators are as racist as the rest of our government.
ReplyDeleteIf it helps, Kierra is mixed. He Dad was killed in a car accident in August of 2012. He was black.
Delete7:16. You see the ignorance here. They have no idea what albinism is. So sorry u have to deal w this. There is a transportation office at the board who hire and fire drivers. Reach out to them
DeleteTo the comment "That is why she is a bus driver - she has no intelligence" - this is a very rude and wrong thing to say. There are many wonderful bus drivers taking care of our children two times a day. This particular driver needs to be made aware of what she has done to this child, I agree. I give a shout out to my child's bus driver, Ms. W. Goslee and to the many others that have the patience to take care of our children. Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole basket. I hope this child gets the encouragement she needs to hold her head high and move past this unfortunate incident.
ReplyDeleteThis has been going on for years! Many of my peers including myself have been victimized by Mrs AND Mr Laws!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!!! They both need to retire!
DeleteAgreed 1000x over!! They've been rude since I was a kid, and I had issues with her last year. Very rude woman.
DeleteWow, bus drivers have a hard job as well as teachers, etc. But you do not have the right to talk to a child like that!!!! My daughter and other kids rode her and her husbands buses yrs ago. They are mean!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen school started, did you inform the bus driver of her issues and needs. It may seem simple to you, but I doubt the driver had any idea that she has vision issues unless she was told. The Driver should still be polite, there's never any call to scream at a child.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think driving a bus, van, etc is easy, imagine trying to keep a whole group of kids physically and emotionally safe while driving a piece of heavy equipment while things are coming at you from all directions. It's not an easy task.
Yes, she was informed that Kierra is legally blind.
DeleteMy son rides that bus and tells me everyday how mean Ms Laws is. He said that today one of the kids asked her how she was and she told him to shut up.
ReplyDeleteWho has a child that's legally blind ride the school bus? Wicomico County provides services to students with disabilities on a separate route, have you told administrators, Transportation Officals. Honestly it just shows that you have told anyone about your child's disability cause they would of offered a special bus for the student. Yes. I have seen this girl at Parkside High school and with Mrs. Piney in leadership don't expect a lot of change.
ReplyDeleteIts my child, and yes she does ride the regular bus. Up until this year, she always sat behind the bus driver. This arrangement has worked beautifully throughout elementary and middle school. It has been since she started Parkside that the bus driver changed her seat. She can see shapes and shadows since birth. Anything further than 2 feet is a blur to her. Kindness is hard to find. She never asks for help, she's been pretty independent. But also note, she has never been exposed to this type of behaviour.
DeleteBy the way, there is no " special bus or different route". Please know what you're talking about first before offering untrue advice.
DeleteBy the way there is a special bus.. it's a bus for kids in special needs so try again..
DeleteNo honey, no special bus was offered to us. I'm not letting this slid by. She is entitled to transportation to and from school without being belittled, yelled at or bullied. This fight isn't just for her, it's for every child that has been or potentially will be exposed to this type of abuse by an adult. Not acceptable by any means.
DeleteYou aren't "entitled" to anything.
DeleteI will say that bus drivers have a difficult job but it is totally unprofessional to yell, scream or belittle children especially those with disabilities. My children no longer ride the bus in wicomico county because of this reason. My son is Autistic and a few years ago he wasn't very verbal. The bus driver was made aware of this when my child first started riding the bus. I had my older son who rode the bus also and would come home and report how this bus driver was treating my youngest son. I suggested that she allow the boys to sit together and she refused because she said she doesn't allow the older children to be with the younger children. The last thing that happened was that she told my son with autism to move to another seat and he really didn't understand what she was saying. So she decided to scream in his face are you stupid and don't understand English. When this was reported to the BOE they said they looked at the tape and talked to her and she thought my son was Hispanic and didn't understand English. From that day forth this is going on the third year that I have been driving my children to school. Something has to be done about the treatment of our children.
ReplyDelete7:41
ReplyDeleteJust because someone is legally blind doesn't mean they can't see certain things. She has learned to adapt in certain situation with her disability. That is a lot more than some people would do!
There are some excellent bus drivers in Wicomico County, and there are some that talk to the kids like dirt on the bottom of their shoes. It's inexcusable for any adult to speak to a child the way this driver did, especially when she was told that the girl is legally blind. She doesn't need to be on a special bus; if she did, the school would have put her on one. It is shameful that no one from the Board of Education has returned this lady's calls. They could pull some of the bus tapes to determine if she calls the girl "wicked white witch" and if she called her stupid. They don't WANT to deal with these sorts of things because it's difficult to find bus drivers. The Board of Education should be ASHAMED of their lack of attention to this issue. I thought Dr. Hanlin was going to "fix" these kinds of issues (no call backs, etc.)???
ReplyDeleteThere are "special" buses for disabled students. They are the 500 series buses you may notice on the road.
ReplyDeleteIf she's done well for all these years on a "regular" bus, I'm sure she would be fine this year as well - if the driver would treat her with respect and allow her to sit on the front seat! I truly hope the Board of Education sees the importance of getting this problem resolved. There is absolutely no excuse for the things that driver said to your daughter!
Stop complaining about the bus drivers and just take your child to school! Not that hard!
ReplyDeleteSo instead of getting a story out there about bullying by a bus driver you're saying stop complaining about the bullying, let it keep sliding so other kids can keep being bullied (I know you see the multiple comments that this isn't the first time the Laws have done this to children, and take them to school. You're a special kind of stupid aren't you
DeleteBus drivers don't have time to bully a kid! Kids bully kids in school! Kids need to learn to stick up for themselves
DeleteBus drivers don't have time to bully kids ? What kind of perfect world do you live in? & CNAs don't have time to abuse the elderly, & rapists don't have time to rape victims. ANYONE can be a bully , believe it or not! Do you not watch the news & see the crazy mess that goes on behind closed doors ? I pray you don't have anyone you know suffering from a disability that they are not strong enough to stand up to someone more superior than them to. But like I said, you must've only commented to put your two cents in because multiple people on this post have said they went thru the same issues with the SAME bus drivers. What a coincidence
DeleteWe do not have the luxury to provide transportation for her. However, My property taxes say they go to schools in the county among other things. How would that better the situation. From what I have read about this bus driver she's been getting away for years bullying children she promised to do her best to protect.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear your grand daughter went through this. I know exactly how you feel as my 10 year old daughter has albinism too. It affects her hair, skin and eyes as well. It's a constant struggle for them to just feel accepted and when something negative like this happens, it takes a while to get their confidence back. Sending hugs and prayers to you.
ReplyDeleteKierra is one of my bestest friends. It really angers me that someone so close minded would say such a thing to her. I hope I can see her again and give her a big hug. Tell her I love her and to keep her head high, because she is an amazing and smart person and doesn't let her disease hold her back. -Stephenie
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs I sit and read these posts and the story I wonder.....this bus driver is being accused...and tried on this website...their name is now released and drug in the mud.....were is the other side of this story? I didn't see it here.....oh that is the usual way the stories here go..no I'm not defending the bus driver as a parent myself I'm sure this is a difficult story....but let's remember there are two sides to this story....I'd like to see both before passing judgment....
ReplyDeleteCan someone please provide this drivers name or what bus number he drives??
ReplyDeleteI had Mrs. Laws as my bus driver back in the early 2000s when I was in elementary school. Looks like nothing has changed, as she treated students the exact same way back then. The woman needs to retire or something, because dealing with children clearly isn't her forte.
ReplyDelete