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Students kicked off school bus in St. Paul
Updated: 01/10/2007 12:44:22 PM
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Imagine sending your kids off to school, but when they get to the bus they are told they can't get on because they speak English.
That's right, English.
It happened to a few children in St. Paul and now the school district is apologizing.
Rachel Armstrong sent her kids to pick up the bus as usual Monday, but after the driver let the kids on, he told them he would not pick them up again. He even said he wouldn't take them home that afternoon.
Armstrong left work early Tuesday, forced to pick up her kids from Phalen Lake Elementary School.
Her twin girls, 10, and her son, 8, were kicked off their regular school bus. They were told by the bus driver the route is for non-English speaking students only.
"I was furious. I was at work and I was just mad." Armstrong said. "I felt like we were being discriminated because we speak English. Just because they speak English, they can't ride the school bus. I mean, this is America, right?"
Administrators at St. Paul Public Schools admit the district made a mistake when it stranded the kids at school Monday.
However, the district points out, that particular bus route serves one of three language academies. The one at Phalen Lake is for Hmong students learning English.
The academies all have separate bus routes to keep its students together.
The district decided to enforce the separate routes beginning Monday, but it did not tell the Armstrong family.
"It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of these kids and we made a mistake. The kids should have gotten home that day," Dayna Kennedy, a public relations representative said.
The district also discovered the Armstrongs no longer live in the Phalen Lake School boundary because they moved last year.
So even though the district apologized, if they want to still go to Phalen, they are going to have to get their own ride.
My question is why is their a bus for ONLY a certain language? Why shouldnt their be simply a school bus that takes kids to school and not base it on the language you speak? Completely retarded.
http://kstptv5.com/article/stories/S21143.html?cat=1
I think this is a media spin and nothing more. Kids could give a damn about who speaks what language they get on fine. Yes English must be spoken in our country but It is a media scam job.
Get yor head out of your ass.
I live in MN, 25 miles North of St Paul. My friend Diana drives a bus for the school these kids go to, and her co-worker is the one who drives that route.
She said that even if these kids did still live in the district, they wouldn't be allowed on the bus service, and would still have to find their own rides.
Thanks for helping me get my head out of my ass. First hand hear say about the facts. So what is you point? My point is we have issues in our country right now about immigration mostly Hispanics but in your area it is mainly folk from South East Asia! So not only are the law makers jumping around trying to fix or cover this up but we also have a issue about a national language and this fits in perfect with those agendas. Why in gods name don't the local people in your community raise hell with the school district or if these buses are private and make a stand against this crap. This isn't really a issue kids could give a damn about what language other kids speak it is a issue with the parents who are working and the kids not being on the bus after school.
And it shouldn't be about the kids. So if it's discrimination then why arent the bus drivers boycotting this decision? This is more than making a buck seems to meLike I said before, even if these kids still lived in the school district, they still would not be allowed on the bus. This has nothing to do with what the kids think.
And it shouldn't be about the kids. So if it's discrimination then why aren’t the bus drivers boycotting this decision? This is more than making a buck seems to me
And for the record I’m not in any cliche`s on this board and I’ve shown respect and I haven’t told anyone to get there head out of their ass. I don’t think that was called for first off and second don’t ever do that to me again because like I said I don’t randomly go about causing trouble. I merely made a statement and an opinion which as this web site states “where my voice counts” And if the mod’s don’t like it you can freely ban me I don’t really care.
if my friend were to boycott the decision, she would lose her job, and right now, that would send them into homelessness because her husband is on disability until mid-summer. She has no choice in this matter, but she doesn't drive that route either.
The head out of your ass thing was stated because you were not seeing the whole picture and you assumed it was a media thing. Last I heard, the parents were planning a discrimination lawsuit over this.
I understand all about economic concerns, it can be either about loyality or survival in which case this person has there hands tied and that is no way to live. Then the next best thing is the families in this community blocking the routes of the non english speakers stops and bring the fight to the right area. Yeah it's easier said than done. My other question are these buses county property or private? Whether they are leased or not I would think that about now the school board members would be having many feet up there asses over this deal. slective government hard at work for it's causes...
I have no idea what your point is.
The bottomline is that public school buses funded by the local district should NOT be segregated into any subgroups based on race, religion, language, etc. It should simply be the kids that go to the school, that live in the same area get on the same bus. End of discussion. Because their would be a freaking firestorm if non-english speaking students were not allowed on a bus to school regardless of the policy.
What my point is that I believe this whole story is BS and if the bus drivers can't boycott then the families should stand up and boycott this whole affair. The board of education should be lit up for allowing this stuff to occur. Maybe I said it clear this time If not I don't what to say
What my point is that I believe this whole story is BS and if the bus drivers can't boycott then the families should stand up and boycott this whole affair. The board of education should be lit up for allowing this stuff to occur. Maybe I said it clear this time If not I don't what to say
Why is the story BS? The school district said that that is their policy. Sometimes its hard for an individual to take a stand. Its like kitten said, the bus driver has a family and is responsible to keep her family afloat. If she takes a stand for the rights of the students, then she might be out of a job. Sure she can sue but who has the time if your supporting a family to waste on court without guarantee that you'll win. Its simply to see why a bus driver wouldnt take a stand.
The people that need to take a stand are those in the community. They have to say that this is not what they wish. Of course perhaps the community doesnt care that the buses are segregated. Its a topsy tervy world we live in these days.
