Try not to be offended by what is really just the name of a ping list of non-school parents interested in stories about school.
I'm 100% with you on the illegal part of the story. She should've been deported when she was caught driving without a license the first time. Then this tragedy wouldn't have happened.
However, the fact is, legal citizens crash into schoolbuses, too. The lack of seatbelts on schoolbuses plays a factor which cannot be denied. I'm angry about the lax laws on illegals AND the lack of safety on schoolbuses, both of which sadly contributed to this tragedy.
I’m torn about the use of seatbelts, however. A caller (former bus driver) on one of our local talk shows had a good point. When the 35W bridge in Minneapolis went down, a school bus went down with it. None of the children died because they were able to get out. Imagine a bus full of panicky children with the bus sinking in the water. No bus driver would’ve been able to cut them out of their belts in time without someone drowning. Yes, I realize that was a very unusual situation, but it did give me pause for thought. I imagine a fire would pose the same danger.
We have had our share of tragedy in Minnesota in the past year. It really burns me that this latest one was preventable. If the illegal perp wasn’t here, ignoring our laws, this wouldn’t have happened.