School Mistakenly Buses Boy To Boston

www.thebostonchannel.com ^ | Friday, September 5, 2003 | Jack Harper

[Momaw Nadon]

Transport Mix-Up Happens Following After-School Program

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- School officials in Wellesley are promising an investigation after a white after-school program teacher mistakenly put a black kindergarten student from Wellesley on a bus and sent him to Boston with other minority students who participate in a voluntary desegregation busing program.

Newscenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the parents of the boy who was mistakenly sent to Boston's Dorchester neighborhood is not very happy about it. The program said they expect the boy to return to the program.

The real hero in this story is the woman on the other end of the bus trip. A Dorchester parent saw the confused little boy, and asked where he lived, when he said Wellesley, she went through his backpack found his identification and contacted his family. The little boy was home later Tuesday afternoon.

As for the program, the Wellesley kindergarten program admits they made a mistake.

"We have Wellesley kindergarteners come to our after school programs and a child who lives in Wellesley was inadvertently put onto a bus going into Boston with Wellesley Metco children, " said Mary Kloppenberg of Wellesley Community Children's Center.

Among the questions facing the Wellesley Community Children's Center is whether the teacher assumed the boy was a Metco student simply because he was black.

"That is why we are beginning a thorough investigation into if there were any biases. (The teacher) is a good person who made a bad mistake and any good organization must look at itself carefully and seriously," said Kloppenberg.

"Of course we are all shocked. It is outrageous that that would happen to one of our youngsters. We are looking at this as a teachable moment, an opportunity for us as a community, as a entire community, to take a look at the way we work with kids," said Wellesley School Superintendent Matthew King.

All involved in the program have admitted they made a mistake and said they will get to the bottom of the case and make certain it will not happen again.

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[July 4th]

Ah, the perils of busing.

[cavtrooper21]

Yet another reason for.....

[Centurion2000]

The real hero in this story is the woman on the other end of the bus trip.

When did mere competency become heroism ?

[Lijahsbubbe]

Wow, isn't it nice to know your five year olds are in capable hands? I guess that college degree didn't teach them how to make sure the right kid gets on the right bus.

[Momaw Nadon]

For those unfamiliar with Boston, Wellesley is an affluent suburb of Boston, populated mostly by WASPs and Jews, while Dorchester is a poor, inner-city neighborhood with a mostly black population.

[BIGZ]

Must be one of the teachers who passed the tests. Arnold was right.

[coloradan]

Yet another reason for...

... chip implants in all children? With such an implant, the child could have been scanned by the bus driver and denied boarding.

(Yes, I'm joking.)

[sweetliberty]

"Among the questions facing the Wellesley Community Children's Center is whether the teacher assumed the boy was a Metco student simply because he was black."

So what if she did? Sounds like a logical mistake to make to me. I suspect that there is a contingent of whining black liberals who are just sure that their kids can't be educated locally so they must be sent off to "white" schools which are so much better....at least that's what Jesse Jackass says.

[SwinneySwitch]

Or else he'll never return, no he'll never return
And his fate will be unlearned.
He may ride forever on the streets of Boston.
He's the boy who never returned

[gitmo]

My kid's first bus ride in preschool here in Charlotte was worse. My wife called me at work about 5:00 and said the schoolbus was missing in action. They didn't know where it was. At this point he should have been home hours ago.

I drove home and drove the neighborhoods looking for the bus. No luck.

About 10 at night the city called saying the bus had shown up and we had to drive uptown to claim our kids. The driver had gotten lost and hadn't stopped anywhere to call in. The bus was full of preschool and grammer school kids who hadn't eaten or taken potty breaks in 7 hours.

My son remained in govtschool 2 more years, but never sat foot on a schoolbus. He's now homeschooled.

[NortNork]

Among the questions facing the Wellesley Community Children's Center is whether the teacher assumed the boy was a Metco student simply because he was black.

The horror. Why would she think that?

[Hildy]

My Father was born in Dorchester, when it used to be a predominantly Jewish area.

[TomServo]

The real hero in this story is the woman on the other end of the bus trip.

Since the term became overused, overinflated, watered-down and applied to everything from getting up in the morning to not burning your toast.

[Prodigal Son]

Our community used to sponsor a once a year bus trip to the nation's capitol for the sixth graders. It was like a rite of passage. The year I went (oddly enough, I was in the sixth grade at the time), we left a kid behind on Capitol Hill. The buses went to the hotel and we disembarked. The head count was done again but this time we were missing one. Naturally, the teachers freaked. But somehow, this boy from a poor section of a poor town in Georgia managed to find his way "home" to the hotel across DC. He footed it the whole way, relying on his nose and instinct. This was back during the days of corporeal punishment. The teachers spanked his a$$ when he got there....

[Grut]

"We are looking at this as a teachable moment, an opportunity for us as a community, as a entire community, to take a look at the way we work with kids,"

Translation: "Nobody is going to be held responsible."

[cyncooper]

You both may be underwhelmed by a good woman who saw the young boy in need and took matters into her capable hands, but to the lad she probably does appear a hero. And to his parents, no doubt.

No need to be affronted at the use of the word in this case. You should not assume that all adults act when the need arises. Some just go on their way, hence the word was used when one did not.

It does not take away from other heroes.

[Centurion2000]

You both may be underwhelmed by a good woman who saw the young boy in need and took matters into her capable hands

Don't get me wrong ... she did a good deed and should be commended for it, but heroism it is not.

[dighton]

Blast you for beating me to it.

;-)

[Clintons Are White Trash]

Only in the world of public education could this be called a "teachable moment". In the real world it's a major screwup!!!