Bus Driver Sparks Controversy After Banning Books on Board
If you’re a public transportation rider, you’ve probably spent some of your commute reading a book—or at least seen other folks passing the time by turning the pages of the latest best seller. But be careful—you might poke an eye out on the corner of one of those tomes.
At least, that’s the concern of a school bus driver in the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada. The driver in the Montreal suburb has forbidden a book-loving student, eight-year-old Sarah Auger, from reading during her 20-minute bus ride to and from school. According to the driver, doing so might threaten Auger’s safety and that of other students.
Along with possibly poking out her own eye on a book corner, Auger said the bus driver told her that other students might get out of their seats to see what she’s reading. The little girl complained to her father, Daniel Abel, and the outraged dad is clear about where he stands on the policy.
“I find it stupid and useless,” Abel told CBC News. However, his attempts to get the book ban reversed seem to be falling flat.
Nancy Ménard, the director of operations at the school bus company, Autobus Richelieu, told the news outlet that students aren’t allowed to have any items out of their backpacks while riding the bus. Along with books, students are also prohibited from using toys, smartphones, or tablets.
“We have to put it in the context that there are 50 students on the bus,” said Ménard. “[Drivers] can’t check what everyone is taking out of their bags.”
The town’s school board is also supporting the driver.
“The responsibility of a school bus driver is to transport students safely,” said Mario Champagne, general secretary and director of communications for the Hautes-Rivière school board.
The rest of the world, however, isn’t so supportive—and some people are taking to social media to mock the policy. “Stop that dangerous book reading!” tweeted U.K. resident Ian Cook. Another Twitter user, Sheila Franco, expressed shock over the rule: “whaaaaa man this world is mad! My son loves to read on the short bus ride home!!!” she wrote. A Montreal resident who tweets under the handle Cognitive Dissonance suggested a solution to the potential eye-poking problem: “Read paperbacks. Problem solved.”
But in a statement written in French on its website, the school board said that the issue is not that books themselves are dangerous, but that objects that have been removed from backpacks could injure students if the bus stopped suddenly.
“Nobody wants an accident due to a lack of vigilance,” reads the statement.
As for Abel, he told CBC News that he plans to continue to encourage his daughter to read anywhere she wants to. Given the district’s continued stance on books, it looks like that won’t be happening on the school bus anytime soon.
Related stories on TakePart:
• The 10 Most Imaginative Little Free Libraries in America
• Want Kids to Embrace Books? Tell Them to Read to a Dog
• The Dos and Don’ts of Teaching Children How to Read
Original article from TakePart
