Written by Arturo Tha Cuban   

I am writing this article because my youngest of three boys is a recent victim of two bullies on the school bus. My child has been suffering at the hands of one particular bully for several months. And recently was attacked by two bullies on the school bus. Even after my wife had notified the bus driver of the incidents no less than three times in the last few months, as well as by my two youngest sons (who ride the same bus), notified the driver numerous times. The bus driver continually seated my youngest son right in front of the offending child, day after day. With absolutely no regard to the safety and welfare of my child let alone any child on the bus. We believe the bus driver was absolutely negligent in the matter.

You see, I have three boys ages 8, 10, and 15 respectively. The 8 and 10 year olds ride the same bus home. They get dropped off by my wife in the mornings. So recently, (as previously stated) he was attacked on the bus, and upon retaliation (as instructed by me), he was informed the HE would be sent to the Principal’s office for disciplinary action. Now keep in mind he was defending himself. And according to Texas state law, if you’re being bullied, you are allowed to defend yourself without recourse. Texas is a provocation state, if you flip someone off and they beat your ass, it’s your own damned fault. Makes sense right?

This last incident he was left bruised in the face, and he is supposed to pay by being sent to the Principal’s office? We notified the school, requested a copy of the video from the bus, and even petitioned the school superintendent. We live in a small town of about 14,000 people, so it’s a podunk, good ole boy kind of town. Which in the end, I realize shouldn’t make a difference. Bullying in schools and particularly school buses is a nationwide problem. This is where the parents come into play.

The best ways to curb bullying is by criminalizing it, and hold parents accountable, simple as that. Most bullies come from households with aggressive parents who are even more negligent than the bus driver in question. Parents know when their kids are bullies, it’s typically pretty obvious and they also get reports from the schools. This bully for instance has a long history with this, and yet the parents take no action. He obviously doesn’t suffer any recourse because he continues to do it to several children on the bus, and at recess during school hours. The school can obviously only do so much, it is required by state law that he attends school. And teachers aren’t parents to your kids, they are teachers; it’s our job to be the parents.

Here’s where parents come in. In Texas children under the age of ten, cannot be criminally charged, in these cases the parents are charged. So if a parent doesn’t do anything to curb the violent behavior, then they should be criminally charged. If the child is ten or older, the child should be criminally charged. If this were to happen, bullying would be nearly defeated. It’s time to dish out harsher punishments for this problem; it’s the only way to curb it! It's a starting point at the least!

And then there are the bus drivers. At what point should they be held accountable for their inaction? What about the case of Patrice Sanders (bus driver) in Florida? She took teenagers to her house, so they can fight out their little dispute. In this case it was a total disregard for student safety on so many levels, it ridiculous! I mean where do they find these school bus drivers anyway?

These people need to be held accountable in some way as well. In the case in Florida, obviously there will be some sort of child endangerment charges. But, where do we draw the line? Should the driver in my case be held criminally negligent? I believe suspensions should probably be in order for first-time offenders. But if they continually ignore the cries of children, and complaints from parents, a child will eventually get seriously hurt. If that were to happen, the driver, along with negligent parents, or the offending student depending on age, should all be held criminally accountable.

These are just my thoughts, and they seem perfectly logical to me. Join in the discussion and let’s talk about this issue and many others. Please visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/New.Politics.and.New.Ideas and let’s start a discussion. You can also find us on Twitter at: @NPNI_Nation.

About New Politics and New Ideas: We are a community of logical progressive thinkers, who are for the progress of our Nation. We are trying to stop the political manipulation on Wall Street, the buying and selling of our elected officials, the destruction of our civil rights, and anything else anyone would like to bring up for discussion. Think of it as the largest, open to everyone Think-Tank in the world. Join us in the fight to take our country back!!!

The time to act is now!!! Let YOUR voice be heard!!!


Arturo Dominguez
Contributor
New Politics and New Ideas
New Politics Nation