I thought school was out for the summer.
"School bus shot at in Dorchester; no injuries reported
Police said no one was injured when a school bus serving the Boston public schools was shot at in Dorchester Friday morning. The shooting took place at about 7:15 a.m. as the bus was near the intersection of Harvard and Bernard streets, said Officer Rachel McGuire, a Police Department spokeswoman. No students were on board at the time, said School Department spokesman Brian Ballou. He said indications are that the bus was struck by pellets from a BB gun and that it was not clear if the bus was being operated or parked at the time. McGuire said the incident is under investigation."
Who would want do that?
"Bus drivers’ leader faces assault charge" by Laura Crimaldi | Globe Staff July 14, 2014
A union leader for Boston school bus drivers who was fired after a one-day strike in October is now facing criminal charges over an alleged assault last month on a manager for the private contractor that operates school buses for the city.
Police allege that Stevan Kirschbaum, 61, of Roslindale, pushed a table against a Veolia Transportation manager as union members rallied June 30 at a school bus yard in Dorchester.
Related:
Boston Globe Gets the School Bus Going
Stalled School Bus Strike
No Steam Over This Veolia Venture
Kirschbaum pleaded not guilty Monday in Dorchester District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering during the daytime, malicious destruction of property over $250, and trespassing.
On the day of the alleged incident, the drivers and their supporters had gathered at the bus yard to discuss contract negotiations with Veolia, according to union officials. Their contract expired that day.
“It’s a labor dispute. I don’t think it belongs in court,” said Kirschbaum’s lawyer, Barry P. Wilson. “I think the company should be more concerned with negotiating with the union instead of bringing frivolous charges against Mr. Kirschbaum.”
During the union gathering on Freeport Street, police allege that Kirschbaum was among a group that broke through locked doors and entered a Veolia facility about 8:30 p.m., according to a police report filed in the court.
After the crowd broke through doors leading to the front of the building, Angela Griffin attempted to place a table in front of the entrance to the main portion of the building and told those gathered that the building was closed and they couldn’t enter, the police report said.
Kirschbaum allegedly responded, “Oh, we’re coming in,” and pushed the table against Griffin, striking her in the legs and causing her to stumble, the report said.
Wilson said Kirschbaum didn’t assault anyone and that doors to the facility were open. He filed a motion seeking to have the case remanded to a clerk magistrate for a hearing.
Kirschbaum was released on his own recognizance and then spoke to supporters outside the courthouse. Among them were City Councilor Charles Yancey; Charles Clemons, a past mayoral candidate; and former city councilor Chuck Turner, who was convicted in a 2010 federal bribery case.
“We’re going to put Veolia on trial,” said Kirschbaum, who called the allegations “crazy frame-up charges.” He is due back in court on Sept. 15.
Kirschbaum was among four bus drivers who were fired last November after United Steelworkers Local 8751 staged a surprise one-day strike that stranded thousands of schoolchildren.
It rent the fabric of the city to much consternation.
All the fired drivers held leadership positions with the union, said Alfred Gordon O’Connell, a lawyer who represents the union on arbitration matters involving the drivers.
In a prepared statement, Veolia said, “This was a very troubling incident that occurred. It is now in the hands of the Boston Police and the courts and we will leave the resolution of the matter to them.”
Kate Norton, a spokeswomen for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said negotiations with the union are continuing and that the two sides have agreed to extend the expired contract on a day-to-day basis.
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What is sad about the whole situation is “public school teachers hold a position of special public trust,’’ ya' know?
Look what is waiting for you in the fall:
"Boston adds security cameras to school buses; Says system will aid in discipline, safety" by James Vaznis | Globe Staff July 21, 2014
When Boston students board their school buses this fall, they may want to watch what they say and do.
Boston is equipping all of its 750 school buses with cameras and microphones, enabling school officials to more thoroughly investigate reports of bullying, other disciplinary issues, and even traffic accidents.
Total surveillance conditioning for the kids.
Each bus will be equipped with two cameras contained in a single unit mounted to the ceiling. One camera will point to the passenger area. The other will be directed at the windshield and will record what the driver sees on the road, providing potentially useful information in case of an accident.
Carl Allen, the School Department’s transportation director, said no single incident prompted the high-tech monitoring.
“It’s just a recognition that there are incidents and accidents that occur every year,” Allen said. “And we have a strong desire to have more data so we can more quickly respond and ensure the safety of our kids and employees.”
Boston will join a growing number of school systems around the state and across the country that have been installing bus cameras to crack down on discipline issues and to ensure safe driving. Some districts, such as the Howard County public schools in Maryland, introduced cameras as part of an antibullying campaign.
Related: Death toll climbs in Gaza
The biggest bully out there right now, and not a peep from AmeriKa's ejewkhazional $y$tems.
Sorry to spell it like it is, but....
In other cases, legislatures spurred action. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania updated its laws on cameras on school buses to allow for audio recordings and compliance with state wire-tapping rules.
“School districts have increasingly turned to technological strategies to handle these issues,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a research and advocacy organization for large urban systems. “School districts want to make sure kids are safe on their way to and from school and not just in school.”
And who could ever question those purer-than-pure motives? Never mind the sexual predators in their midst in the classrooms.
The use of the cameras often sparks debate, pitting safety concerns against privacy rights.
And gue$$ who u$ually wins.
The American Civil Liberties Union says the installation of recording equipment on school buses creates a culture of fear akin to being in prison. Students will ride the school bus knowing every word they say is being monitored, said Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts.
“I think that is profoundly disturbing and sends a wrong message,” Crockford said. “I think schools and the school bus should be places where students can express themselves without fear of censor.” It is what I said it is.
Interesting how schools dedicated to critical thinking critical thinking would feel that way, but....
But the Anti-Defamation League, which has worked to curb school bullying, sees the cameras as a powerful tool to investigate cases of bullying that can be complicated to untangle.
GAZA, you hateful bastards!
How ironically absurd that they are the ones hollering bully most.
“It’s very clear that BPS is doing this because they have students’ best interest at heart,” said Robert Trestan, the New England regional director for the ADL. “What happens on a school bus inevitably has an impact in the classroom.”
For the most part, Boston school officials say students behave well on the buses. The school system transports more than 30,000 students a day to both public and private schools.
During the past school year, drivers wrote up about 5,600 incident reports documenting misconduct by students, such as swearing, refusing to sit down, throwing items out the window, vandalizing property, or bothering others.
Allen said he hopes the presence of cameras might deter some of that behavior.
“As litigious as things can get, to have cameras is par for the course in big school districts,” Allen said.
The system will cost about $275,000 annually for the next four years, which covers the purchasing of the equipment and the data service.
More than $1 MILLION bucks for it?
Related: Boston's Schools Go Begging
I didn't want to say anything, but well....
Boston is installing a sophisticated system produced by SmartDrive Systems, a San Diego company that makes video and data recording equipment for commercial vehicles.
I'm always happy when someone makes a buck when giving taxpayers a ride.
If a student acts up, for instance, a driver can press a button and the system will automatically e-mail the footage to transportation supervisors, who will then forward the information to a school principal or, if necessary, law enforcement to investigate.
So they will be waiting for you when the bus gets to school.
Transportation supervisors also can go into the system after an incident and view footage. The cameras keep up to 180 hours of footage before it is deleted.
NSA will keep a copy, thank you.
Beyond those features, the device also aims to improve the fuel efficiency and performance of the drivers, noting when drivers accelerate excessively, slam on brakes, or make hard turns.
That is definitely needed! They got BAD LEADERSHIP!
School officials stress that no one is sitting in a room monitoring students remotely as they ride the buses.
They already have the fusion centers in place, so.... ???
The school bus drivers’ union, which raised objections a few years ago when the school system equipped buses with GPS units, could not be reached for comment.
Stop honking your horn.
Little if any public debate has arisen over the cameras in Boston, although the decision has not been widely publicized.
It just was.
School officials decided to pursue the measure last year when they sought a new transportation company to operate Boston’s fleet of buses, and they announced at Wednesday’s School Committee meeting that the cameras would be operational this fall. Signs will be posted on the buses alerting passengers that the cameras will be recording both images and audio, a requirement under state wire-tapping laws.
In interviews, some parents and students expressed unease about the plans.
“My son rode the bus for three years without any incident that would indicate this is needed,” said Bob Goodman of Jamaica Plain, whose son is entering the fourth grade this fall. “When you talk about a million-dollar investment over the next four years and the underfunded areas in the district, it raises questions about priorities.”
Good point!
Goodman said he would prefer that the money be spent on employing full-time nurses and libraries for all the schools and teacher assistants to help reduce student-teacher ratios.
I don't see a profit for anyone there, so $orry.
Nathan Tran-Trinh, a member of the Boston Student Advisory Council who works on transportation issues, said he was torn on the issue.
“I’m usually against security cameras because they can be an invasion of privacy,” said Tran-Trinh, of West Roxbury, a junior at Boston Latin School. “I think using cameras on school buses should be a last resort.”
But?
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And once you get to school:
"Methuen schools to test out gunshot detection system" by Kiera Blessing | Globe correspondent July 03, 2014
A Methuen school may soon become the first in Massachusetts to have a gunshot detection system installed, School Superintendent Judith Scannell said.
Who is getting that contract?
The high-tech system, which was developed during a time of heightened concern about school shootings, sends an alert to local police the moment a gunshot is fired, so authorities are aware of a crisis more quickly than they would with only a 911 call.
It never mistakes another noise for such a thing?
I mean, having SWAT teams descend on a campus that is unaware when nothing has in fact gone wrong.... ???
“Anything we can do to enhance the safety for our students is a good thing, and that is the number one job of a superintendent,” Scannell said in a phone interview Thursday. “We have to constantly tweak our standards.”
They keep waving that at you while Gazans dig graves. Everytime children are waved at me to push an agenda or cause that will be my first response now.
Scannell said she believes this will be the first time such a system will be involved in a Massachusetts school.
The system will be installed in one of Methuen’s schools in August, Scannell said, but she would not say which one. Ideally, she said, the system will be working by the start of the school year.
In addition to making the school safer, Scannell said, she expects that the system will give students, parents, and faculty peace of mind.
Scannell said she met no opposition from the city’s School Committee during discussions last year about the system. Parents will be included in discussions this summer, she said.
“When it comes to the safety of the students, the community is very supportive,” she said.
Stop flogging them.
School committee member D.J. Deeb said he was excited by the prospect of having the system in the schools.
“I think that students and parents should feel good knowing this is a state-of-the-art system that enhances the security of our buildings,” he said.
The Guardian system, made by Shooter Detection Systems of Rowley, uses microphones to record the sound of a gunshot, then validates the sound, said Christian Connors, the company’s chief executive.
When shots are fired, the system can begin recording voices and other noises, allowing emergency responders to know where the shooter is and what is going on inside a building before entering. Each sensor records sounds within a 25-meter radius, Connors said.
They will never, ever, leave it open and on, right?
He added that systems like Guardian have been used in overseas war zones, where they have limited human casualties and deaths. He would not disclose the cost of the system, but said it is about equal to that of a video surveillance system.
So ONCE AGAIN the WAR-PROFITEERING TE$TS have COME BACK HOME!
The Methuen school will be using the system free of charge, Connors said, because the company wants to test it in a school.
So WHEN is the FALSE FLAG, STAGED and SCRIPTED SHOOTING PLANNED FOR next FALL?
Scannell said she would seek a grant to have the system installed in all city schools.
Time to get off the bu$.
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Related: 5 shot, 2 stabbed in weekend violence
Also see: Custodian dies in accident at school
I'm surprised they were not screaming terrorism.
