Boston School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson is implementing new policies regarding school vans after learning that two teacher aides at one school drove students in school-leased vans without proper licenses and that one of them had been arrested for driving one of the vans under the influence of alcohol on a weekend.
School Department officials said that only one school operates the vans, which were used occasionally to respond to students’ “unique transportation needs.” The use of the three vans at the school, which has not been named, will be discontinued.
Comments
These vans REALLY shouldn't be discontinued! The school department official, was concerned about the fallout to Dr. Johnson, and was not being candid about the impact of losing these vans to this school's "unique" student population. This decision to discontinue the vans is not about "the children" here!
These vans are used at a substantially separate school whose students are Special ED LAB (learning adaptive behavior) and ED (emotionally disturbed); that's what gives these students "unique transportation needs." Who is going to safely transport a student in crisis home to parental care or to a hospital for emergency emotional intervention services?
A regular bus driver doesn't have the training to deal with this student population, and it will be expensive to send a yellow bus for 1 student. They can't be transported in an administrators or teachers car, it could be dangerous to the driver, or a cab, and you wouldn't want a disturbed student on public transportation! What should happen here is van staff should have the correct licenses to do the job, and the vans should be returned to school at the end of the day. Dr. Johnson and Court Street Administration should demonstrate some common sense, and not kill the goose because it laid one rotten egg!