Reaction to Ocala Bus Tragedy
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Only days after the tragic death of middle school student Frances Schee--caused by an accident between the school bus on which Frances was riding and a tractor trailer--Elissa Schee, the mother of Frances, has publicly declared her intentions to present a comprehensive review of all school bus stops in Marion County to a public safety committee. The tractor trailer driver has admitted to being distracted by his cell phone immediately before the collision occurred.
As part of this review, Ms. Schee advocates eliminating bus stops that are located on major highways. In the alternative, Ms. Schee suggests using public facilities and churches as central bus stop locations for parents to drop off and pick up their kids, with a law enforcement or public safety officer assigned to each designated station. If the bus stops cannot be moved, then concrete pads should be installed on the side of roads for the safe loading and unloading of children. A third option is to relocate the bus stops to side roads that intersect highways.
Ms. Schee admits that she and her fellow group of concerned parents "are not experts in anything, except how to be a parent, so to everyone who wanted to know what expertise we have, none except good old-fashioned North Marion County 'Horse Sense.'" In one of two released public statements, Ms. Schee expressed her frustration with lawmakers and other governmental officials: "No more talk from the people in charge of this process currently of Laws, Rules and Regulations can be or will be tolerated. If bureaucrats get in the way of a solution then they need to seek other employment opportunities."
Ms. Schee's loss is incomprehensible to most of us, and her fervent desire to preclude the occurrence of another tragedy is both understandable and laudable. Notwithstanding these points, one cannot help but wonder whether her suggestions address the broader issue and, more importantly, help remedy it.