Where is our teacher's humanity?? Why stick so strictly to rules and protocols??

Bus transport to and from Barwon Valley Special School is a privilege not a right even if the child lives 30+ km away from the school with both parents working. We have had a number of situations where Brandon has been expelled from the bus. One time for Brandon to travel on the bus he had to sit next to the Chaperone and given Brandon's high sensory issues, one and a half hours sitting physically close to another human being is torturous to him . Secondly, the chaperone and bus driver insisted on Brandon requiring a harness because he was putting his arm out of the seat belt. Fair enough! However, they were tying the lap belt so tightly around his stomach which is usually distended and painful from having diagnosed chronic constipation that he became violent and once again 'kicked' off the bus.

The added monty python insistence on rules and protocol for the sake of it,  my ISP funding had to fund a carer to drive Brandon to the respite facility and from the facility from school due to some sudden breach of protocol. (a 5 minute drive). Surely one staff member lives out that way!


Anyway, just as suddenly as Brandon was kicked off the bus, he was suddenly reinstated on the bus on  Wednesday without any changes to anything for some reason. Apparently  they were allowing him to sit in the bus just with the seat belt until the harness etc was fixed. When my husband got on the bus to get Brandon off, the bus driver,  vented   his frustration and anger at Brandon not being forced to wear the harness. My husband  was going to argue but thought what's the point?? There is all this stupid fuss. Why can Brandon go on the bus Wednesday and not last Friday when there was no one to pick him up after school and then fix whatever situation Melbourne insisted on fixing in the meantime.


But I believe as teachers they should go beyond this. I was watching the show 'Airline' yesterday lunch and there was a frantic lady who needed to desperately fly home because her mother had just died and she had parked illegally in the airport. The airport worker, said that by agreeing to move her car and securing it in a locker was breaching all airline protocols however sometimes you have to do what you feel is right in your heart and deal with the consequences afterwards. And I thought this is the same with the teachers at Barwon Valley. Why couldn't one teacher offer to drive Brandon home given my husband and I were not in a position to? Teachers at my school have driven students to Werribee when they have missed their bus - so I will maintain- yes there are specific rules and protocols- all good- however sometimes to be fully human we have to do what is right even if that does not tick a box on the protocol list.

This whole, Barwon Valley, McHarry's Bus line saga is a monty pyton saga- the love of meetings and dramas for the sake of dramas and meetings and I am still to be convinced it is anything more.