It was a normal morning for MSAD1 parent, Maeghan Swanson. She woke her kids up and got them ready for the day, and then she brought her children to the driveway to wait for the bus.

That morning Swanson witnessed someone try to speed up to pass her child’s bus that was preparing to stop, yellow lights flashing. She made a Facebook post expressing her anger and frustration. 

Swanson goes over bus safety with both her children, such as how close they can be to the road. After the incident, she stays with her kids because she is nervous about people speeding past a stopped bus. “I think we live in a world that is dictated by speed,” Swanson said. “We are all in a rush to get to someone, to read something, and to react to something.”

Dan Deschaine, a driver for bus 10, mentioned that on the bus, standard rules are in place such as no food, no screaming or  loud noises, and kids are reminded not to just run toward the bus. Deschaine hasn’t seen many accidents where civilians have passed buses while students tried to get on. However, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t seen a few misses.

“I remember one time there was a student so focused on texting that she didn’t look before crossing the street and almost got hit,” Deschaine said.

Signey Johnson ‘21 lives in town and states that she has always been nervous getting off this bus. Mostly it’s because she is uncomfortable crossing in front of the bus and not the traffic on the other side. She does acknowledge that at times the other traffic can make her uncomfortable.  

“I’ve never witnessed a car go past a bus but it’s something I think about,” Johnson said.

Krista ‘21, Kayla ‘21, and Karla Williams ‘20, all live out of town. The sisters said they have never felt the need to be worried about crossing the street. This year their bus driver stops the bus in such a way to block both sides of the road so that a car can’t try to pass while the students board or disembark. There was only one time they witnessed a car pass the bus. Overall they feel safe trying to get off the bus.

“Most of the trucks and cars notice and pay attention to the bus and the kids,” Krista Williams ‘21 said.

With the winter month driving conditions here, the driving will not be any easier and some children will still have to cross the street to board the bus. Children’s safety is the most important when it comes to parents and bus drivers. As Swanson says, “These are children. Period. There is nothing more important in this world then the safety of each and everyone of them.”