School buses in the Kingston area have been forced to remove all holiday decorations for fear of offending anyone; more offense should be taken at trying to take the joy out of the holidays.
‘Tis the season to be merry, jolly, bright, and in the case of Tri-Board Student Transportation Services in Kingston, Ontario, ’tis also the season to be dull and drab.
Tri-Board is an agency that is contracted to manage transportation services to local school boards in the Kingston area, and they have made it very clear that any buses with Christmas decorations are not allowed to transport students this season. A violation of that rule would be considered a breach of contract, and would result in that bus company losing the route.
Read the full story here.
Or go here for a story about how a school in Ottawa cancelled their annual Christmas Concert.
So, what do you think?
UPDATE:
Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc. – Media Release – December 7th, 2011
In response to recent media stories and enquiries from parents and the general public, Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc. wishes to clarify its policy concerning the decoration of buses.
Our first priority with school bus transportation is always the safety of students and bus drivers. With this in mind, the Standards of Performance for School Bus Operators clearly indicates that no decorations, eating and/or drinking are permitted on school buses. While we recognize that drivers may want to celebrate special events and holidays, the key reason for not allowing costumes or bus décor from bus drivers is primarily for safety reasons; that is, no masks on drivers that may be pulled, pushed or fall over their eyes, and no decorations or costumes that may be visual detractors or impair their vision. This is especially critical during periods of inclement weather. Decorations may be flammable or harmful to younger students. Items such as garlands may be tossed or thrown, and therefore not appropriate for school buses, where there is only one bus driver supervising many students.
Tri-Board Student Transportation Service Inc. serves students from five school board jurisdictions, and transports 32,183 students, on 675 buses to 164 schools from Belleville, to Kingston, and north to Bancroft. This is a large system with over 600 buses, hence the need for consistent policy and for zero tolerance for any infractions to school bus safety protocols.
UPDATE 2:
MPP Randy Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington) is rallying the public to join him at Tri-Board Student Transportation Services on Wednesday, December 14 at 2pm to set up and decorate a Christmas Tree in protest of their decoration policy.
The public is invited to bring ornaments for the tree, garland and any other decorations suitable for the Christmas Tree. People are also invited to bring Christmas cards and messages for the staff at Tri-Board along with their petitions. Carolling will be welcomed for those so inclined.
Mr. Hillier will be delivering his petition, which in only two days has thousands of signatories, asking the Board to repeal their ban on decorations in school buses.
Read the full story here.
