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By David Seal [Special to The Tennessee Conservative] –
Marion Knight is a resident of Jefferson County and a distinguished retired schoolteacher.
She offered to help Jefferson County Schools two years ago by volunteering to ride on a few bus routes as a citizen monitor. After getting the bureaucratic run-arounds about her offer, she even went so far as to be fingerprinted and background checked on her own initiative. Marion never got permission from Jefferson County Schools to volunteer as a bus monitor.
“At the November 2022 meeting, at least one bus driver stood up and told stories about bad behavior on buses. Then two grandmothers told what their young grandchildren had been subjected to on the bus home. It was disgusting. I had already gone through the security process so I could volunteer at schools. After a couple of months when no one called me, I followed up and was told that the attorney was deciding if I could ride on a bus as a one-time volunteer. No further response.” Marian Knight, Jefferson County Resident
Parent Sarah Biddle of Jefferson County reported that her son sustained a serious injury on the school bus after a long-standing bully situation came to a boiling point. Her son suffered a facial fracture for which he required emergency medical treatment.
“After demanding a deeper dive into the incident, we were still left dissatisfied and without justice. A five-day suspension for this type of behavior against another student vs an entire year if the victim had been a staff member (per handbook) is inequitable, and shows administration is valued far greater than our children. I spoke with the transportation supervisor Phillip Batts and expressed my concern for the safety on the buses, and understanding that bus drivers cannot maintain safe driving, and discipline at the same time. I suggested bus monitors but was told that they did not have the funding for bus monitors. I am certain there are enough citizens in this county that would volunteer to take on the task. It is not ideal for everyone to just pull their kids from school transportation. It is imperative that children arrive home safe, both mentally and physically. I am very thankful that my kids are close to the age of driving themselves to school.” Sarah Biddle, RN, Jefferson County Parent
Jefferson County Schools have recorded 432 bus incidents during the Fall Semester of 2023, August to December. Of those incidents referred to administrators by bus drivers, only 104 resulted in some form of punishment of offenders. 316 actions by school administrators consisted of warnings issued to student offenders and/or correspondence with their parents. The remaining 12 actions by school administrators were described as “assigned seating” or “other.”
As of December 2023, a total of 822 students were being held out of Jefferson County Schools by their parents for private and homeschool options, about 12% of the district enrollment. Bus-related issues have contributed to the student exodus.
With a myriad of serious bus problems to discuss, citizens and bus drivers addressed the Jefferson County School Board during the November 2022 School Board Work Session. One bus driver suggested that board members should ride buses to get first-hand experience of the problems drivers face.
One grandparent commented on bus issues as follows:
“We had major issues in Strawberry Plains, [Tennessee] and it was never really addressed. My grand[kid]s no longer ride the [Jefferson County] buses and I am thankful for it! I suggested bus monitors and they did not even address this. Another issue here was kindergarten and young elementary kids on bus with high schoolers. It was addressed in a school board meeting by a grandparent and there was no discussion after the citizen comments either. I need to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.” Concerned Grandparent, Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
Students have a keen sense of teacher and bus driver discontent, which translates into adverse behavior, a vicious cycle for all involved. In Some cases, the student’s bus behavior turns vulgar.
“This is just one of many incidents that has occurred on the bus [that I drive]. A student made a very vulgar gesture to me. I then reported it to the admistrator at the school. The response I received was incredibly disrespectful. The school bus drivers do not receive the help they need from school administration.” Anonymous Bus Driver, Jefferson County Schools
Author’s note: This report, prior reports, and the series of reports to follow, are based on 32 years of public-school teaching experience, conversations with parents, students, and exit interviews with teachers that are leaving public education.
This is part 4 of a series of reports on vouchers and school exodus. To see previous reports, links are provided here. Report One 10/10/24, Report Two 10/22/24, and Report Three 10/29/24.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.