Father says daughters frisked on school bus
‘ My five- year- old said it was really scary,’ says concerned dad
A Calgary father says his five- yearold daughter is terrified to ride the school bus after she and her sister were allegedly frisked by a Southland Transportation driver to ensure they were not bringing food onto the bus for their 90- minute ride home.
Randy McDonald alleges his two daughters had to “spread their legs and hold their arms up” while a female bus driver patted down the children and searched their bodies for after- school snacks on Thursday.
The students, in kindergarten and Grade 2, were riding the bus from their Falconridge home to Piitoayis Family School, a Calgary Board of Education school in Inglewood, which teaches elementary education through an aboriginal lens.
Southland Transportation said Tuesday the bus driver of the Piitoayis Family School route has been removed pending the outcome of a joint investigation by Southland and the CBE.
“He did make an allegation that one of our drivers searched his child, looking for food items, because there had been some previous issues with food on the bus,” said Murray Glass, general manager at Southland Transportation.
In an emailed statement, the CBE confirmed the Southland Transportation employee was suspended, pending an investigation.
“Student safety is our top priority, and we are working with Southland to ensure that students feel safe and secure on their way to school,” said the CBE in the statement.
Last week’s alleged incident comes after two months of problems, said McDonald, noting the issues started when the route’s beloved bus driver left and a new employee started driving.
He said the new bus driver won’t let elementary- aged students eat on the bus, despite a bus ride home that has grown to upwards of 90 minutes for his daughters since the new driver started.
“The kids are starving,” McDonald said.
“The first thing they say when they come ... is ‘ I’m really hungry, I need some food.’”
Glass said Southland Transportation does not have a blanket policy against children eating on its buses, but it appears there were previous issues with food on this particular route.
McDonald said he immediately called Southland on Thursday after his seven- and five- year- old daughters told him they had been patted- down by the driver of the bus. The girls also told him other elementary students had previously been frisked for food.
“My five- year- old said it was really scary,” he said.
On Friday, the bus driver was not working the route, but McDonald said she was again steering the bus on Monday and his youngest daughter refused to board the vehicle.
“My five- year- old comes walking up to the bus, sees ( the driver), freaks out and tries to get away from the bus,” he said.
The driver was not behind the wheel when the bus came to pick up his daughters on Tuesday morning, McDonald said.
The father said what his daughters said happened on the bus is upsetting and he’s concerned to see his younger daughter, who loves learning, so terrified to get to school.
“It’s completely unacceptable for a bus driver to search a child for food,” he said.