On yesterday, we reported about a 7th grader who was dropped off at what was assumed to be the wrong stop, and suffered frostbite on her fingers and toes. Now, First Student is speaking out about the incident. Unfortunately, they are also blaming the student, saying that 13 year-old Kai Thao, who is still in the hospital but recovering, might not have recognized her stop.
Interestingly enough, this is another story where First Student blames everybody else but themselves for what is arguably their problem. First says their extra curricular route is differant than their normal school route, and that Thao may not have recognized her stop.
According to First Student spokeswoman Kimberly Mulcahy:
If she was accustomed to passing a certain number of stops and then getting off, well, now she is on a different bus going on a different route and making different designated stops.Interestingly, according to Mulcahy, First Student doesn't allow their drivers to bring students to their own homes. Get it Straight! has contacted Ms. Mulcahy about that.
The school staff has also added some information. From Jr. High School Principal Tim Williams:
Information about those changes in the after-school route was sent home with students the week before it began, Williams said. In addition, Thao's teacher asked her whether she knew her bus and stop on that first day of after-school classes. The teacher made a point to do this, the principal said, because Thao also got off at the wrong bus stop on her first day of school at Humboldt.Interestingly enough, our story yesterday reported that Thao doesn't speak much English. So it is possible she didn't understand the question.Williams said Thao told the teacher that she knew where to get off the bus.
Thao's family unfortunatly is learning a lesson about First Student's business practices first hand. From Maly Vang:
"I'm just disappointed that everybody says they did the right thing and she did the wrong thing," Vang said. "She's a young girl who was scared. And that driver just told her to get off the bus."We'll keep you up to date.
See origional story
2 of your thoughts.:
You really shouldn't put the blame on the bus driver. He is just following the directions set up by the schoolboard. If you have an issue with the "no drop at home" policy, then shift your blame to who it belongs and target the board.
Thanks,
A First Student Bus Driver
Maybe the driver was just doing what he was told. Maybe the driver was frustrated with a student who doesn't speak much english and didn't know where her stop was. The driver could have taken the student back to the school. The driver could have used the two-way radio and contacted her dispatcher to call the school and get the student's address so she knew if she was in the right area. I work for First Student also and I see drivers do stupid things everyday. The late runs are not "door-to-door" or we'd be out four hours at night delivering students. There is no rule saying that if one is unsure that you can't return a student to the school rather than tell her to get off the bus. Obviously there was some miscommunication here but it comes down to a driver and a student. Who was the adult on the bus?
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