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Schools

Change for buses marked by anger

Lawyers get testy after the Pinellas School Board unanimously approves a reorganization of the bus system.

By THOMAS C. TOBIN
Published February 23, 2005

Related 10 News video:

School board approves safety plan, but tension rises with victim's family

LARGO - In a scene that rekindled emotions over the deaths of two Pinellas schoolgirls, the lawyer for one of their families sparred briefly Tuesday night with the school district's lawyer.

The confrontation between School Board attorney John Bowen and Tampa personal injury lawyer Steve Yerrid unfolded before TV cameras, just after the board unanimously approved a reorganization of the troubled school bus system.

It began when a School Board member approached Sally McKinney, mother of 16-year-old Rebecca McKinney, who was killed in October as she tried to cross multiple lanes of traffic.

Board member Mary Russell said the family's input was important as the district tried to fix its bus system. As Yerrid joined the conversation, Bowen walked up and sternly told him his discussion with Russell violated Florida Bar rules.

Yerrid, who recently announced the McKinney family would sue the district, snapped back.

"Excuse me, I thought you were a public official," Yerrid told Bowen. "And you're a great lawyer to be giving me lessons, okay? I don't think so."

Yerrid then directed reporters to another part of the hallway and held an impromptu news conference, calling the school district arrogant and saying its plan to reorganize the bus system was only a start.

He said the McKinneys felt shut out of the process and called for a more comprehensive approach.

"Maybe we should think about hiring qualified bus drivers instead of elderly bus drivers who are put on a bus route for the first time and try to make do with bad information," he said.

Yerrid was referring to the Feb. 11 death of 8-year-old Brooke Ingoldsby, who was struck while trying to cross five lanes after a 75-year-old driver, William A. Ralston, dropped her off on the wrong side of the street.

"What he doesn't know is the district was involved in an age discrimination lawsuit" 10 years ago, said Clayton Wilcox, Pinellas school superintendent. He said of older applicants: "If they come, they pass the physical and they demonstrate the skills we need, how do we say no?"

Wilcox proposed the reorganization as part of a larger program to address school bus safety. Other elements of the program include accelerated training of bus system employees, a public safety campaign and continued work on problems with the district's bus routing software.

Wilcox also has proposed hiring a private transportation company to review measures the district already has taken to improve safety. That part of the plan is uncertain, as the school board failed to give the superintendent a definitive okay Tuesday night.

"I think we have a comprehensive plan," Wilcox said. "Is it enough? I don't know. But I believe that it is."

Under the reorganization plan, the district will add eight new positions, give bus drivers closer contact with supervisors and establish a "call center" to better field complaints from parents.

One of the new positions would be a "customer service coordinator," defined in the job description as someone who would establish "rapport with parents, schools, employees" and others. The position is designed to address one of the department's most glaring problems - an inability to efficiently handle complaints and get timely answers for parents.

That failure was evident in the weeks and months leading to the deaths of Rebecca McKinney and Brooke Ingoldsby. The parents of both girls have said they complained about problems that presented dangers to their children but encountered transportation employees who would not or could not help.

A new "road safety specialist" will inspect bus stops and handle complaints about unsafe bus drivers. A new "route and safety auditor" would randomly check bus stops to ensure they comply with safety regulations.

The staff changes would add $600,000 in salaries and benefits to the transportation department budget. Wilcox said the money will come from the district's contingency fund for unforeseen expenses.

The call center would be an additional expense costing tens of thousands of dollars, according to Wilcox. He said he is leaning heavily toward hiring a company to run the call center.

The bad feelings began earlier Tuesday night when Wilcox spoke to Sally McKinney before the board meeting. It was the first time the two had met.

"I just wanted to say hello and tell her that my heart went out to her," the superintendent said. "I had not had that opportunity. I finally, honestly, decided that with or without her lawyer's permission I was going to say something."

Mrs. McKinney and her husband, James, wore shirts memorializing their daughter. On the back were the words: "If tears could build a staircase I would run all the way up to heaven and pull you right back down."

Yerrid later said it was inappropriate for Wilcox to approach his client without him present. He also criticized Wilcox for his published statements urging the family to approach the district directly about compensation.

"They don't want money," he said. "They want real change."

[Last modified February 23, 2005, 00:55:24]