I drive a special needs school bus for Everett High School. One of my stops is on Hoyt Avenue where I drop off a wheelchair student.
Many students from EHS use Hoyt to bypass the traffic and lights. At least once a week someone will drive through the flashing red stop paddle on my big yellow school bus with its flashing red lights. In the United States, 15 children on average are killed each year by vehicles passing a school bus when students are either loading or unloading at their stop. I usually record the license plate, make and model of the vehicle, and a description of the driver. I then turn the information over to the Everett Police Department. They issue a warning or a ticket depending on the circumstances of the offense.
On April 12, a student ran my stop paddle on Hoyt. I was unable to record the whole plate number.
On April 13, that student took an important step, taking responsibility for their actions and writing a letter of apology to me. That student then took the letter back to my bus rider’s home, knocked on the door, identified themselves as the law breaker, apologized to the family, and handed her a letter of apology for me.
In my 20 years of driving a school bus, I have never had a driver take responsibility for their actions. The letter writer stated that that moment had changed their life drastically. Good.
I’m proud of this student. They did something wrong, but took responsibility for their actions and made it right. They took an important step closer to becoming a responsible adult. Now educate others.
JUDITH GRAYSON
Durham School Services employee
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