Students Mouth Duct Taped Shut

[Lone Gunman]

5-Year-Old Says School Bus Driver Duct-Taped His Mouth

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- A school bus driver could be fired after a 5-year-old boy reported that the driver taped his mouth shut so he would stop talking, school officials said.

The kindergartner told his parents the driver taped his mouth shut with duct tape on the ride home from Dunedin Elementary on Monday. He told his parents, who reported it to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Both the driver, who has been temporarily assigned to another route, and the adult aide on the bus could be fired, a school official said.

"If the allegations are substantiated, it is a clear violation of our policy," Pinellas County schools spokesman Sterling Ivey said. "As far as we're concerned, the nature of the incident is inappropriate touching or handling of a student."

Ivey did not release the name or work history of the driver or the aide. The bus's video surveillance camera had been removed about five days ago for maintenance, so there is no footage of the alleged incident, he said.

School officials will wait for the completion of the sheriff's office investigation before doing its own review, Ivey said.

This is at least the sixth incident in 14 months in which the safety or treatment of Pinellas County students has been called into question.

Last year, two students were hit and killed by cars after bus drivers let them off on the wrong side of busy streets. Another student was hit by a car and seriously hurt after he ran out of his school.

This year, police handcuffed two other students, one aboard a bus.

[K C Muffin]

Holy God! One would have hoped the bus driver would have been fired on the spot!!! Then again, a 5-year-old can have a vivid imagination. There's probably some videotape somewhere...........

[Lone Gunman]

Originally Posted by K C Muffin

Holy God! One would have hoped the bus driver would have been fired on the spot!!! Then again, a 5-year-old can have a vivid imagination. There's probably some videotape somewhere...........

Yeah I thought it was kinda wierd that they say the camera had been removed for maintenance so there is no footage. Maybe that's why the driver did it he knew the camera was gone.

[TexKan]

Taping a kids mouth is extreme. Altho I must admit I put tape on my own son's mouth one time - I usually relied on the ole soap wash. I'm his parent tho so I can see where this one will land if they prove it happened. Maybe there were other kids on the bus as well that can witness to what actually happened. My guess is the kid deserved it but the "adult" in the situation should have prevailed and not "handled" the kid. Course IF there were an accident cause of the distraction the kid was causing I wonder if the "handeling" rule would still apply? Maybe the drivers can't go rescue kids either.............sometimes I just wonder what we are doing to our kids and ourselves........

[K C Muffin]

While the bus driver clearly crossed the line with the kid by taping his mouth, I still feel sorry for him. I don't think they give bus drivers enough training on how to handle kids when they get out of line. Which, in turn, is dangerous for the driver. We ask too many people to care for and educate our children, when, in reality, it should start at home. If the kid isn't disciplined at home, he (she) won't be able to recognize when discipline is necessary and to heed a warning.

Another related note - - there was a couple up here in Kansas City that lived in the same city I do - they were ministers at a church in KCMO. They had either 4 or 5 (I can't remember which) foster children in their care. One of them (a 5-year-old) had some problems, physical and psychological. One evening, apparently one of the parents lost control and duct taped the kid's mouth. Then proceeded to tie the kid up so he wouldn't hurt himself or anybody else. He died during the night - asphyxiation. Apparently unable to breathe well enough through his nose to sustain life. The next morning, they found him dead and transported him to Missouri - apparently understanding the ramifications of their actions. The foster parents and their live-in nanny were charged, tried or pled and convicted of murder.

Don't let history repeat itself. Duct tape is for fixing 'stuff', not kids.

[TexKan]

Well I didn't have to wrap it around his head - he was too scared totake it off so if your tapin the mouth and not the nose your ok.......ya also have to know why you did it. My poiont to him was made in about 30 seconds......tien kids up and bounding them is another thing all together..... Hard to believe that 2 parents AND a nanny couldn't figure out how to control a 5 year old without killin him. Sumthin tells me this kid was in "time out" too long - sad, sad.

I agree with KC on the bus driver issue - but after feelin that the "CHIPS" bus driver in DC crossed the line - wasn't quite sure how to word my feelings on both and why they were 2 separate incidents......That Twin.....gotta love her!!

[K C Muffin]

The story about the little boy up here was just sad. You'd think if the county regularly placed foster kids with them, they were a decent couple. They didn't just tape his mouth shut....apparently it was wrapped around his head so it didn't come off. From what I understood, they tied him up but didn't bother to see that his face was obstructed so that he couldn't breathe. Imagine leaving a youngster like that. All night. How cruel can people be. I just think death is way too harsh a punishment for a kid that breaks simple household rules or talks back.

Yeah, TK - soap was always my punishment of choice. Easy to find. Easy to use. Usually didn't leave tell-tale traces.

[TexKan]

When my oldest was about 13 - and trying to flex his vocbulary with me - he read the back of the DAWN bottle to me and was tellin me how it wasn't supposed to be injested......I switched to IVORY - just to accomadate him with something that was 99.9% pure. I kept tellin him don't swallow - but ya know when your runnin your mouth your gonna swallow.....lol.....kids - ain't they great???........can't wait to see what brand he chooses in a few years...

[K C Muffin]

13........an age to be remembered.....but not relived

[wordsmythe]

I said something kicks butt the other day and my daughter says, "Dad that's a bad word."

I said, "Which one?"

She says sheepishly "butt."

To which I responded no it's not.

Well my wife informed me that at daycare it is.

Here's what I said, "Hun, when you are daycare you follow their rules. But in this house we don't believe in bad words because words have no power unless you give them power. I don't believe in 'bad words' just bad connotations so when you are older we will talk about what all that means. For now choose your words carefully and match them to the place you are at the time and we'll all get along fine."

Looking at me confusedly she says, "That kicks butt dad."

And I responded, "However, at school it's just REALLY Cool."

We don't even have bar soap in the house.