After video of overcrowded Bryan County school bus surfaces, parents worry for lack of safety
Parents in Richmond Hill are fuming after learning their children rode to school in what some describe as “unsafe” conditions.
A student at Richmond Hill High School posted a video on Facebook showing students sitting on the floor – and on top of each other.
When E. Schwan’s child told him about the issue, he was worried. His child said there are more than two dozen incoming freshmen, which caused an overflow of students on the bus. While some parents say the issue has since been resolved, many are wondering why their child was put in a dangerous situation to begin with.
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“My biggest concern is if a private citizen was caught driving around in a similar fashion where they were exceeding the maximum capacity of the vehicle, they would definitely be pulled over and fined,” said Schwan.
Between the punishing heat his child faces waiting to get on the bus and the congestion inside, it makes the ride to school even more uncomfortable.
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In addition, students found it difficult to get off at their stop as some were crawling on top of others to get out.
“My friend was literally sitting on my lap the whole ride home while I pressed my knees against the seat across from mine,” his child said. “If we got into an accident, we would have been piled up or we would have fallen down the aisle.”
The Savannah Morning News reached out to the transportation office for the Bryan County School System multiple times, but did not receive a response.
Schwan stressed the importance of the county taking precautions when transporting students because for many, the school bus is their only way to get there.
“The way that we're set up right now is that I can only take my younger daughter because of where we live and how far away schools are from each other,” said Schwan. “I'm not able to take both in the morning. And if I had that ability, I would, because you know, I don't want to put my child in that situation.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Parents react to viral video of overcrowded Bryan County school bus
