Hope the story got out about the school teen getting 'what fer' from the bus driver that got the driver a misdemeanor for grabbing the kid by the neck--SHADES OF MY GRADE SCHOOL!!!

And the boys/brothers involved in Florida getting charged with felonoes.

Awwww the parents have kids who disobey and when AUTHORITY steps in they are appalled and their lawyer sickened!

Give me a break!

What thew driver snapped and was going to beat the boy? NOT...he put him in his place!

The family should have a sit down talk and find out why the Potty Mouthed Brat interfered.

If we only had video cameras in our school growing up, I'd have a number of teachers looking for new work if THAT neck grabbing was considered a crime...

:\'( :\'( :\'( :\'(   

On the one hand the bus driver had no business laying his hands on either kid.  On the other, the driver is in charge of the bus.  If he tells the kid to put his seatbelt on, the kid's supposed to do it!  Instead, he's got a punk-azz 13-year-old and his smartmouth 15-year-old brother up in his face dissing him and cursing him!  What's the driver supposed to do?  Say, "OK you don't have to wear your seatbelt because you got mad and cursed me out."  Yeah, then he totally abdicates his authority.  I remember from my school days the level of respect the kids had for bus drivers to start with was minimal at best!  If the kid lashes out at the driver, is he supposed to run away?  He could never look those kids in the face again!  So it's a paradox, a lose-lose situation for the driver.

I'm not a dad, but if I was, and I found out my 13-year-old behaved that way to a school bus driver, that kid would be in BIGTIME hot water!  I wouldn't like the fact that a big oaf smacked my boy, but I'd tell him that's what happens in the world when you act like an uppity little azzwhole!
::)

I don't deny that the kid was probably being a jerk, but that doesn't justify it with me. Sorry.

If I had a kid whose teacher, bus driver, etc so much as TOUCHED him, I think I'd put them in the hospital - I don't care WHAT my kid would've done, you don't touch or hit them, imo.

For the record, about 10 years ago I was causing trouble on the bus -- long story -- and the driver, who was this grouchy old bag, said, "If you do that again, I'll break your arm." Well, I told my mom about it, and eventually we got her in a bit of trouble with a "strict warning" from what I understand.

(Maybe I'm biased on this issue because I've been on the other end of it, but honestly, it's scary for a 12 year old kid to have a physical threat made against him - even if he deserved it and even if he probably was a million times faster and stronger than the old lady making it! ;D )

When I talked to the school about it, I never denied I shouldn't have said/done what I did in the first place (both then and now, I admitted to being a jerk), but part of HAVING jobs such as this, are to be able to have PATIENCE with these issues. Maybe it ain't easy, but if you can't handle it, don't take the job.

I apologize if I sound like an anti-violent, modern hippie, but the days of authority figures hitting kids are in the 1940's, and should stay back there!

I'm siding with the driver.

Luckily it looks like he is in less trouble, since he (the driver) is only getting charged with a misdemeanor, while the two darlings are both getting charged with felonies.  Good.

I don't deny that the kid was probably being a jerk, but that doesn't justify it with me. Sorry.

If I had a kid whose teacher, bus driver, etc so much as TOUCHED him, I think I'd put them in the hospital - I don't care WHAT my kid would've done, you don't touch or hit them, imo.

For the record, about 10 years ago I was causing trouble on the bus -- long story -- and the driver, who was this grouchy old bag, said, "If you do that again, I'll break your arm." Well, I told my mom about it, and eventually we got her in a bit of trouble with a "strict warning" from what I understand.

(Maybe I'm biased on this issue because I've been on the other end of it, but honestly, it's scary for a 12 year old kid to have a physical threat made against him - even if he deserved it and even if he probably was a million times faster and stronger than the old lady making it! ;D )

When I talked to the school about it, I never denied I shouldn't have said/done what I did in the first place (both then and now, I admitted to being a jerk), but part of HAVING jobs such as this, are to be able to have PATIENCE with these issues. Maybe it ain't easy, but if you can't handle it, don't take the job.

I apologize if I sound like an anti-violent, modern hippie, but the days of authority figures hitting kids are in the 1940's, and should stay back there!

Like I said, it's a paradox.  There's no comfortable answer for me because I don't want to condone adults assaulting kids under any circumstances. 
What bugs me is the way parents these days coddle their delinquent punk kids when they get in trouble.  If the driver didn't touch the kids and let them sneer at him and give him lip until the cops got there, maybe he'd be off the hook.  Maybe one of the kids would decide to take a swing at him all the same.  Then, to stay out of trouble, a 200 pound grown man would have to play punching bag to an 88 pound boy!  Doesn't sound like a healthy message to send about how the *real* world works!
If the school suspended the kids from the bus for the rest of the year, the parents would have p*ssed and moaned about how unfair it was to their precious children to make them walk home.  The kids STILL wouldn't learn any respect and would instead learn a sense of arrogant self-righteousness.
As much as school bus drivers get lampooned, we have to remember they have a lot of young  lives in their hands.  They can't just let some punk kids run amok.  It's not the driver's fault the parents were negligent in their duty to teach li'l bastids how to behave!  I still don't like what the driver did, but when you act like a dumb animal, a lot of unlikable things can happen.

Assault of a minor is definately not permissable, only perhaps in cases of self-defence. Although bus drivers should at least be given the right to use the good old pepper spray to control the young hooligans.

Kids have no rights when they are on other people's property. End of story. :-X

Like I said, it's a paradox. There's no comfortable answer for me because I don't want to condone adults assaulting kids under any circumstances.
What bugs me is the way parents these days coddle their delinquent punk kids when they get in trouble. If the driver didn't touch the kids and let them sneer at him and give him lip until the cops got there, maybe he'd be off the hook. Maybe one of the kids would decide to take a swing at him all the same. Then, to stay out of trouble, a 200 pound grown man would have to play punching bag to an 88 pound boy! Doesn't sound like a healthy message to send about how the *real* world works!
If the school suspended the kids from the bus for the rest of the year, the parents would have p*ssed and moaned about how unfair it was to their precious children to make them walk home. The kids STILL wouldn't learn any respect and would instead learn a sense of arrogant self-righteousness.
As much as school bus drivers get lampooned, we have to remember they have a lot of young lives in their hands. They can't just let some punk kids run amok. It's not the driver's fault the parents were negligent in their duty to teach li'l bastids how to behave! I still don't like what the driver did, but when you act like a dumb animal, a lot of unlikable things can happen.
There's only one thing I would worry about,the kid was grabbed by the neck. Grab the neck too hard,and there could be a nasty injury...I know, I was grabbed by the neck and shaken by an abusive foster mother when I was twelve..

I guess I wasn't thinking about that. That's probably why he didn't pull on the boy too hard. I've been beaten, grabbed and shaken violently by teachers who used to call that DISIPLINE. I have no regret about my disipline. It made me stronger, if not wiser. ::)
There's only one thing I would worry about,the kid was grabbed by the neck. Grab the neck too hard,and there could be a nasty injury...I know, I was grabbed by the neck and shaken by an abusive foster mother when I was twelve..

I saw the video and clearly the driver took the first swing. I am appalled that the driver will only get a misermeaner and the kid get a felony. It doesn't make sense. I think the driver should be fired and prosecuted.




Cat

Let me also add that if it were one of MY kids, what the bus driver did would be the LEAST of their worries...


Same here.

If the kid has had behavioral problems in the past, then the driver should be able to kick the kid off the bus until his behavior changes.  

I guess I wasn't thinking about that. That's probably why he didn't pull on the boy too hard. I've been beaten, grabbed and shaken violently by teachers who used to call that DISIPLINE. I have no regret about my disipline. It made me stronger, if not wiser. ::)

Yeah, but I don't think you're ever allowed to grab the kid around the throat.  Big strong guy like might block the flow of oxygen to the kid's brain, not that the kid was using it in the first place.

My gradeschool teacher used to grab me by the chin when I got out of line.  Totally unallowable today.  She'd be fired.  She wasn't rough or injurious about it, but it sure got my attention!  My attention needed "getting" quite a bit when I was a little squirt.  Thank god my mom didn't let me get the Froot Loops at the grocery store, else I woulda been climbing up the walls!

Even Howard Stern thought the kids were acting up (he may have sided with the way it was handled)...
Yeah like some BIG BAD bus driver would physically HARM the kid...we all know what we'd like to do to some...he did it!

The parents go runningoff to the lawyer when they can't act mature enough to meet with authorities as well..the apple didn't fall far from the....

If it was my kid, sure I'll be mad at the bus driver, parents are not allowed to grab their own kids like that so why should a bus driver. But if it was my kid he would also be in trouble with me for acting like a jerk.

Was the bus driver wrong? Maybe, but lots of kids today get away with so much crap that putting him in his place seems alright for this situation. Especially since he was being threatened...though he may have done better going to someone for help before this happened.