Bus driver grabbing child on school premises

slinxy · 9 Jan 2024 at 19:33

Werewolf said:
Those are always fun "I've just moved in next to something that's been going for 1000 years, I demand they stop making noise". IIRC there have been complaints about the bell ringers at the church that has been there since the doomsday book in some villages.

I swear some people that move to the picturesque villages because the "want to enjoy the quiet rural life" or "love the old church" etc have less than zero clue about what a typical village with faming going on is actually like.

‘It would be the death of culture’: Manchester’s Night & Day venue faces moment of truth

Court battle over noise complaint will decide future of famous music club, which has hosted Johnny Marr, the Charlatans, Arctic Monkeys and Ed Sheeran

www.theguardian.com

The northern quarter is the hipster area of Manchester city centre, in case someone didn't know... why would anyone move next door to a nightclub in the city centre is beyond me. lol

We have farmers with machines that fire blank shots to scare away the birds from eating their crops at an automated time period. We have bets to see how long it takes before the noobie posts about it and then there's the air raid siren, god knows why we have one... but they do like to test it.

Thekwango · 9 Jan 2024 at 19:49

slinxy said:
Playing devil's advocate here

No need for devils advocate. The op has already stated he wants to see the cctv footage so he can ascertain for certain who is telling the truth. He’s also said if his son is lying he’ll be punished. That’s good parenting, not like the eejits in your village, also why I refuse to join our local fb groups too. Far to many eejits and half wits who find a voice and audience on social media.

Jelly4mybelly · 9 Jan 2024 at 23:31

I would be very surprised if the owner of the company risked his companies reputation by grabbing a child for no reason. You need to approach this calmly and ask the the other side of the story and some CCTV.

Thekwango · 9 Jan 2024 at 23:38

Jelly4mybelly said:
You need to approach this calmly and ask the the other side of the story and some CCTV.

They have.

Hades · 10 Jan 2024 at 00:16

Firstly I would not have left it this long before taking action. The CCTV footage will likely have been overwritten by now. Secondly I would approach this with an open mind that your son may be in the wrong and not go in "all guns blazing" (I appreciate you haven't). If it was me then - the same day or next day at the latest - I would have called the company, explained that there are two sides to every story and requested to see the CCTV footage to ensure the drivers actions were justified and not an assault. I would also - again politely and calmly - have said that if CCTV footage was not provided then I would have to believe my son's side of the account and report it as an assault. I would then have followed through and reported it as such to the police to preserve the CCTV footage.

Your son may be in the wrong here. But he may not. Only CCTV footage or other witness statements can corroborate. But waiting until yesterday probably means the CCTV footage is no longer available. Are you able to talk to the parents of other children on the bus to find out what their children witnessed? If there are no supporting witnesses then, having left it this long, I would probably do nothing as it risks being banned from all school buses without knowing who was in the right or wrong.

Rroff · 10 Jan 2024 at 03:18

Jelly4mybelly said:
I would be very surprised if the owner of the company risked his companies reputation by grabbing a child for no reason. You need to approach this calmly and ask the the other side of the story and some CCTV.

Generally no - but I found as a child some people would take an instant dislike, while not autistic I was slightly that way as a child and it seemed to trigger some people. Some people seem to have quite a strange response to people who act differently to what they understand - it is like they just can't cope with it and need it gone so things work the way they understand.

The_Arbiter · 10 Jan 2024 at 09:20

To be brutally honest, if the boy isn't banned from using the bus, just explain to him that he should try and be quiet and well behaved, and that some people in life will forever be dicks (the bus driver). Even if this isn't the case, just move on, i doubt you'll get anywhere without major stress involved.

Without CCTV you've not much chance of knowing the true story. Kids are loud, old bus drivers are moody... Great match.

School will teflon this, police will teflon this, kid will do what kids do, and bus driver bossman will blame you the parents regardless.

If there is suspicion of a real crime at play, then follow it up.

The_Arbiter · 10 Jan 2024 at 09:28

Rroff said:
Generally no - but I found as a child some people would take an instant dislike, while not autistic I was slightly that way as a child and it seemed to trigger some people. Some people seem to have quite a strange response to people who act differently to what they understand - it is like they just can't cope with it and need it gone so things work the way they understand.

Whilst that's the psychology of a situation, it can also be something as simple as the weakest target gets the brunt of a reaction. Bus company struggling, old man struggling to pay bills, patience with little troublesome children who could possibly never do any wrong, all that stress build up.

The driver/owner may appear a ****, but this may have happened several times, and as he's so close to retirement(?), he couldn't care less anymore

Rroff · 10 Jan 2024 at 09:33

The_Arbiter said:
Whilst that's the psychology of a situation, it can also be something as simple as the weakest target gets the brunt of a reaction. Bus company struggling, old man struggling to pay bills, patience with little troublesome children who could possibly never do any wrong, all that stress build up.

The driver/owner may appear a ****, but this may have happened several times, and as he's so close to retirement(?), he couldn't care less anymore

That is something else I've encountered as a kid - other kids messing about but me getting hauled up for it as the easiest target

I guess that is partly why I've become so cynical of and have such a low opinion of people in general.

Haggisman · 10 Jan 2024 at 09:37

Hades said:
Firstly I would not have left it this long before taking action. The CCTV footage will likely have been overwritten by now. Secondly I would approach this with an open mind that your son may be in the wrong and not go in "all guns blazing" (I appreciate you haven't). If it was me then - the same day or next day at the latest - I would have called the company, explained that there are two sides to every story and requested to see the CCTV footage to ensure the drivers actions were justified and not an assault. I would also - again politely and calmly - have said that if CCTV footage was not provided then I would have to believe my son's side of the account and report it as an assault. I would then have followed through and reported it as such to the police to preserve the CCTV footage.

Your son may be in the wrong here. But he may not. Only CCTV footage or other witness statements can corroborate. But waiting until yesterday probably means the CCTV footage is no longer available. Are you able to talk to the parents of other children on the bus to find out what their children witnessed? If there are no supporting witnesses then, having left it this long, I would probably do nothing as it risks being banned from all school buses without knowing who was in the right or wrong.

It sounds like the OP didn't leave it this long, they asked for the CCTV earlier and have been given the run around.

Also surprised to see so many people jump straight to the conclusion that the kid was misbehaving. Yes kids of that age can be right little ****, but I also experienced some right nasty bus drivers on our school bus who were picking on kids who weren't really doing anything wrong (worst I can remember is someone being kicked off for turning round and sitting on their knees to chat to their mates in the seats behind).

To be honest I would have reported it to the police as soon as the school/bus company made it clear they were going to be difficult. You get your one chance to deal with the situation like an adult and if you fail to do so then deal with the consequences.