With a second case of alleged assault on a Buffalo School Bus in just the past few months, Common Council members are calling for increased action by school administrators.
After a nine year old student was assaulted on a city school bus in South buffalo in November, public school officials said the district would take a look at services provided by First Student transportation.
In early December, South District Councilmember Christopher Scanlon filed a resolution calling for school officials to present plans to remedy the situation to the Common Council.
“We have yet to hear from them nearly two months later,” said Scanlon.
Scanlon said the most glaring issue at hand is a lack of adult aides on school busses. He said relying solely on a bus driver without an aide is ridiculous.
“To ask them to be responsible for 20, 30, 40, 50 students of all different ages while they’re trying to ensure the well-being, the safe arrival of these students to and from school is just not realistic,” Scanlon said.
A second school bus assault allegedly took place in December, involving a six year old Catholic school student. It spurred the city’s District Parent Coordinating Council to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on behalf of the mother of the alleged victim. They’re also ask the federal government to require an aide on all City of Buffalo school busses.
Scanlon only just found out about the complaint but said, at this point, federal intervention would be welcome in order to stimulate the process.
“Whoever needs to get involved to make it happen is fine with me,” said Scanlon.
On Thursday, Scanlon, along with Lovejoy District Councilmember Richard Fontana and Masten District Councilmember Ulysees Wingo, Sr., took to the steps of City Hall to express their outrage at the Buffalo Board of Educations lack of action and renew their call that something be done.
“We’re going to demand that someone from the administration within the Buffalo Public Schools attends our next education committee meeting to discuss this,” said Scanlon. “We want this to come to a resolution as soon as possible.”
The Council’s next Education Committee session is February 11th.
