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Bus drivers and parents press Lake County Schools on disciplinary process and student safety
Summary
Several public commenters, including a school bus driver and a grandparent, urged the board to strengthen discipline protocols for disruptive students on buses and clarified concerns about staff touching or verbally abusing students. The speakers described repeated referrals and questioned the district’s responses.
Multiple speakers raised concerns about student behavior on school buses, how referrals are handled, and whether district policy permits physical contact or verbal reprimands by staff.
Dan Lackey, identified in the transcript as a school bus driver, told the board he submitted repeated referrals for two sisters over multiple years and said discipline was insufficient. He said he wrote the students up “16 times” in one year and later “18 times,” and that school administrators had limited the length of time students could be suspended from the bus because of perceived hardship to parents. Lackey said the current process left bus drivers feeling unsafe and suggested stronger enforcement of consequences for students who pose safety risks on buses.
Edward Cohen, who identified himself as a grandparent of a student on the bus, asked the board to clarify district policy on physical contact and verbal abuse by school staff. Cohen said he had spoken with an assistant principal previously about verbal abuse toward his grandson and had not received results; he asked who enforces policies and what remedies are available.
Board members did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting; the chair acknowledged receiving contact information and said someone would follow up.
