smoking on school buses??? maryville tn (Knoxville, Farragut: daycare, homes, employment)

[Sweetlady71]

just wondering, recently, ive noticed bus drivers smoking on the school buses while driving them, granted, the 2 ive seen now(1 ive seen twice), there was no kids on the bus, the buses was on their way to the schools to pick up kids thou.
I thought smoking was banned from places of employment and on school property?? does this law exclude the bus drivers???
Im a smoker, so all the smokers out there dont jump my butt, but i smoke outside on the porch, and i have no problem with smoking outside when i got to a buisness or resturant. but i have 2 kids with asthma, and since i dont smoke in their faces, i dont want them getten it from the bus ride either. I started asking area moms around here, and kids i know, and some have said that yes, the bus driver my kids have has been caught smoking while kids was on bus, and one mom said she took her kids off the bus over the winter cuz they was coming home smelling of smoke, and when she asked around about it, supposedly, the same bus driver smoked in the bis with windows up, making the bus fill with smoke, and she got tired of her kids smelling like it when they got off.
now, im not tryen to step on toes, but does anyone else know if this is allowed or should be brought to the schools attention???? I havent called the school yet, cuz i cant believe im the only one seeing this and no one has said anything about it, so was wondering if school buses its allowed???
on that note, kids have been seen smoking to, as well as dipping, dipping and highschoolers making out and groping girls under the shirts is getting to be a problem......as well as kids not in seats when bus is moving, ive never lived anywhere where busses move until kids are seated, since ive been in TN, ive seen kids fall into the isle as bus comes to a fast stop, or step on the gas, some kids barely get their feet on the steps with door being closed and bus hauling off.....didnt a child recently somewhere get dragged by a bus from this???? if the bus drivers are in such a hurry to get somewhere, shouldnt they leave few minutes earlier??? its all just crazy i think.
Is all this the norm??

[Beretta]

Moving this to the Knoxville forum since this is a local and not state issue.

Was this Maryville city or Blount County school buses? Hmm, I do not think that there are state laws regarding smoking on school buses. In Maryville city the buses are run by a private company that contracts with the city.

In the last two weeks I have seen "people in uniform" smoking in "marked vehicles" in this area. I know that this is not supposed to be allowed but it happens.

You might want to call the school districts main office regarding the smoking and the rules/laws.

[alleycat]

I tried to look up the exact law. In Tennessee there is a law that prohibits smoking on buses carrying children to daycare or certain other activities . . . but maybe not for smoking on a public school bus, strange as that sounds nowadays.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I tried to look up the exact law. In Tennessee there is a law that prohibits smoking on buses carrying children to daycare or certain other activities . . . but maybe not for smoking on a public school bus, strange as that sounds nowadays.

I agree Alleycat. Smoking on buses should be against the law whether there are children present or not! Smoking is nasty and the smell and stains linger from such. The smell gets in the seats, turns the interior an ugly shade of yellow, etc.

If I saw such a thing I would be on the phone with the school district pronto! Of course, I am so anti-smoking I tend to get on a soapbox fast and furiously.

ETA: The recent bus incidents you mention about a child being dragged (and there was also a child hit) both happened in the Knox County School district. Neither happened in Blount County or Maryville City. Also, you should see some of the girls leaving their homes all angelic and then changing clothes on buses before and after school! Parents might want to drop in the school sometime to see what their kids are actually wearing there.

[oldmanbob]

Hey Gals, Im an exsmoker, and agree, respect should be given to nonsmokers, and certainly not done in the kids presence. But you do not need to get to carried away, as its a real low paying job, and if you got a good driver, treating all our kids fair and doing a good job, then dont make a mountain out of a molehill. I had my code 27, and drove for our Church bus ministry, and until you have done it, you have no idea,, how tough a job, and how important to be safety minded first, such as avoiding cars, and other nuts on the road, and that makes it impossible to be attentive, to all the activities going on, on the bus. Unless you can afford to pay a bus rider, then kids behave, as they are allowed at home, and other places. So go easy, especially if you got a good driver.

[Beretta]

I've seen good drivers and I've seen bad. I go easy on everyone until proven otherwise (smoking in front of children, bad driving, etc.). However, there have been more than a few incidents lately in the news that really make one wonder. The latest was a woman driver in Loudon County whose case has gone to the grand jury, the Jefferson County crash that sent the child to the hospital, the Farragut boy, etc. The bus companies do get paid well by the school districts; generally these contracts are per bid submitted by the bus company themselves. If they aren't compensated well it is probably because of the bus company owner, not us individual parents and taxpayers.

For sure, there are kids that would drive someone nuts on a bus. However, I can almost always spot a bus driver running a stop sign or speeding in Maryville city, especially around Foothills Elementary. As a parent, we have had our share of "trying" bus drivers over the years as well as a few standouts that will always have our hearts.

[aquarijen]

This is kind of a rough problem. I understand that the job is difficult, but, man, it is very important. I had never ending problems with the bus company with our driver for smoking on the bus. The school could do nothing because the company is subcontracted. The school would call the company and give me a form to fill out and I would fill it out and give it back. Then my child would be "forgotten" at his bus stop every time he waited there alone - it was horrible. I ended up adjusting my schedule at work and driving him in the mornings. We did not have the issue of missed transportation in the afternoons because the bus can't skip his stop there. But he would often smell faintly of smoke and it wasn't him doing the smoking.

-Jen

[Beretta]

Sweetlady, any update?

[ArcticPhoenix]

Okay, I grew up pretty much in the "back woods" of West Virginia, and even THERE, bus drivers weren't allowed to smoke on school buses, period...

This, quite honestly, shocks me... that this could even possibly happen, disturbs me at least... Oh well, my children are homeschooled.

[Sweetlady71]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

Sweetlady, any update?

smokymtngal....worken with a few other mothers, tryen to get more to verify stuff to present to school and then take it from there. will update when i hear anything.
also...a personal thank you for fixen my posting problem...its worken.
and a personal/public "im sorry" for you know what have a good night!!