More evidence: busing in Louisville is out of control

Kids pepper sprayed during fight on bus

The results of a long winter and overly long, under-supervised school bus rides are beginning to take their toll on the busing for diversity madness in Louisville.

I mentioned one incident, triggered by bullying, a few days ago.

Now, for the second time since the beginning of March, violence has broken out on one of Jefferson County’s longer bus routes.

This time, 11 children wound up in the hospital with pepper spray burns after two girls took their dispute, which was apparently known to some adults at least several days before, to a new level.

WLKY.com has the details.



By the way, it turns out the 0222 bus mentioned in the news report was a substitute for Bus 0437. I checked with the Jefferson County Public Schools Transportation Department.

The route for Bus 0437 is listed in the Jefferson County Schools on line “Bus Finder.”

Bus 0437 runs to the Westport Middle School after making pickups at several road intersections as far away as River Park Drive and Amy Avenue, way over on the West Side of Louisville. Westport Middle School is on the East Side, about half way between I-264 and I-265 on Westport Drive. Mapquest says the distance, using the Interstates, is over 15 miles, one way.

WLKY says the Jefferson County School District is investigating this latest violent bus incident and that several parents of student victims plan to press charges against the child who did the spraying and possibly against the adults who provided the spray, as well.

But, the article also hints that the dispute between the two girls was known to the parents. Writes WLKY:

“Haynes said the incident was the result of an ongoing dispute between her daughter and the girl with the pepper spray. She said more could have been done to prevent Tuesday's incident.”

While these are sketchy details, it sounds like the school system itself may be more involved.

Certainly, cooping kids up, every day, on bus rides (without an adult bus monitor) that run all over Louisville couldn’t have helped this festering situation. If problems between the two girls who started the fight were reported to school officials and still were not dealt with, that could open up a whole new area for inquiry. And, it is doubtful a school bus driver trying to negotiate I-71 in the Louisville area has much additional time to play referee for 13-year old altercations.

So far as Louisville’s excessive busing for diversity plan goes, could it be that the inevitable is now happening? Is it possible the novelty of going to school all away across the county is wearing off, so now thoroughly bored kids are starting to do what kids everywhere do when they are bored?

And, was another warning about bullying or at least a strong personality conflict ignored by personnel in the school district?