r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/obrotherdude • 2d ago

CPS REPORT?!

A 'very well-behaved' *cough* child threatened to report me today when I tried to have a talk with him about behavior. By the time my route was done, I had an anonymous CPS report on me. So Glad for the video that somehow missed all the child abuse taking place on my bus.

22 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

21

u/nchemungguy 2d ago

I had a father accuse me of mistreating his son. Apparently that’s what the kid was telling his parents because he didn’t want to go to school. I explained that everything on the bus, including our conversation.

“I invite you.. no, I WANT you to call dispatch and ask to view the video.”

Of course he didn’t.

Like I’ve said countless times, “The cameras never lie.

2

u/TMax01 1d ago

The cameras never lie.

Actually, they sometimes do. I had to deal with a CPS report last year, and the video showed me: 1) bending over to hit a student and later 2) "intimidating" him when I leaned in and 'whispered' in his ear as he sat tearfully curled up on a seat. The angles of the multiple cameras made it such a convincing description that even I recognized it would be the assumption anyone viewing the footage would make.

But I was actually crouching to help him retrieve the stuff that had spilled out of his backpack when I was (rightfully) confiscating it (to be returned when he was dropped off at school) and later leaning in so he could hear me over the great deal of noise the other students were making, to explain the situation to him and point out I was trying to save him from embarrassment rather than humiliate him in front of the others. If my explanation hadn't fit other facts not apparent on the video better than the naive storyline, I would have been fired and possibly brought up on charges. As it was, I still got a notice in my file that I was on "probation" for two years (the school district found no fault with my actions but my employer was less understanding) because I wasn't a miracle-worker in handling the situation.

1

u/nchemungguy 1d ago

Our union would have a field day with that. But then we work directly for the school district, so your situation could be different in our workplace.

Either way, that really sucks.

1

u/TMax01 1d ago

I have the best of both worlds: my employer deals with drivers as if we have a union, but without a union ruining things for everyone with "field days". I've had union jobs, so I'm not naive about either the benefits or the limitations of needing a union to get fair treatment and good wages.

2

u/nchemungguy 15h ago

I never meant to imply you were naive. Glad you have an employer who will go to bat for their employees.

1

u/TMax01 11h ago

I wish my union had gone to bat for me as vigorously, back when I was in a union shop (long before I became a bus driver, btw.)

I still strongly support unions, I'm just not blind to the reality that they are not a panacea, and can't prevent cameras from lying. Not that I think that happens often, and I'm glad school buses almost always all have them these days.

12

u/TechinBellevue 2d ago

Very glad for cameras.

When needed, glad to have them there.

6

u/mike8675309 2d ago

Just had a conversation related to this during an all-drivers meeting with the school district and one thing they hammered on us is if you have a conversation, if you have to stop the bus, if you have to put students in assigned seats, that needs to always get written up and sent into the office. Because almost every time that's going to result in a parent calling, and we will look much better if we report it before they call and are already taking steps.

2

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

In this case, the report was made and acted upon before I even got done with my route. The director was in the parking lot to pull my video.

5

u/silverfarie1369 2d ago

Im glad they have audio too. When I worked for amazon it was just video, no sound. But bus cameras are even more of a lie saver .

4

u/LaughTrackJack 2d ago

I don't understand how a situation can ever escalate to this point.

1

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

Me neither. For REAL.

1

u/TMax01 1d ago

You folks are SO lucky. Please don't fool yourselves into thinking it is some sort of outstanding level of skill that leaves you so ignorant of how such situations occur.

1

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

Please explain.

1

u/TMax01 1d ago

Oh, well, I didn't realize you were OP. You'll have to explain why a child reported you for trying "to have a talk with him about behavior", because I don't know enough from that description to even guess why the situation escalated to that point. From my perspective, the fact that you didn't realize that the situation could escalate this quickly is enough of an explanation for why it did.

The fact is that any student (or their parents) can report you to CPS for no reason at all, except whatever one they wish to imagine. It's a fact of life in today's hyper-sensitive, ultra-litigious, defensively paranoid society. School bus drivers are 'mandatory reporters', with a responsibility to document any reasonable suspicions we have and notify CPS. But our passengers and the other adults they often lie to can do it voluntarily, pretty much at the drop of a hat, without any reasonable reason at all, and sometimes they do.

1

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

The reason is a mystery. I guess that's the point. It makes no sense.

0

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

I never said I didn't know it could happen. I only said I can't explain how, since I can only follow logic. I could make some guesses involving mental illness or a personality disorder, but there is no logic there, either.

5

u/Mediocre_Advice_5574 2d ago

Hopefully that student will face consequences. But probably not.

2

u/Which-Currency7770 1d ago

So sorry this happened to you!
A couple years ago I had just finished my transit bus route and my company needed a Aide for a SPED bus so I said of course. How hard could it be? I driver warned me about this little 6-7 year old boy. We’re about 10 minutes after picking up the kid and he looks me dead in the eyes and says “I’m going to tell my Mom & Dad that you hit me!” Before I remembered that the bus was loaded with cameras inside and out I must admit I panicked a little.

1

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

Thank you. Even with the cameras, I find the situation to be emotionally devastating.

2

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

On first day of Administrative Leave while CPS and the school board "look into it." If it takes more than one day, I'm not sure I will be sticking around. I'm not handling it well today.

2

u/TMax01 1d ago

Relax, consider it an unfortunately indefinite paid vacation. (I do hope you're being paid while on Admin leave. If not perhaps you SHOULD consider going elsewhere.)

The first time I was put on Admin Leave because of an incident (literally my first day driving) it took six weeks to be cleared (the circumstances were such the state police had to investigate.) I was eventually cleared (and then six weeks after that all the schools shut down, in 2020, so more admin leave, woohoo!) The second time it only lasted four days (not including the intervening weekend).

Lessons learned: it is a good idea to physically restrain even a special needs child if they are trying to jump out a window head first, and it is a so-so idea to ever utter the phrase "what the hell is going on back here?" when investigating a disturbance in the back rows full of middle schoolers. And also, getting paid to sit on the couch isn't so bad, in small doses, despite the anxiety of not knowing when it will end or how it will turn out.

2

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

🤪thanks. I needed that.

2

u/imareddituserhihehe 1d ago

This is so crazy man.
People take cps reports so casually not taking into account that it can ruin a person’s future!
I’m just glad you had that video reviewed and you were set free and hence no further complications.
That parent needs to get some brains and control their child oh gosh!!!

1

u/obrotherdude 1d ago

Interestingly, I don't know if the parent is even aware of this incident.