PA - Juliet Pratt, 54, school bus driver, arrested and charged with duct taping 10-year-old boy on her bus - Drexel Hill, 8 Mar 2023

[ifindedout]

Upper Darby Bus Driver Accused of Duct Taping 10-Year-Old Boy on Bus

An Upper Darby school bus driver is accused of duct taping a 10-year-old boy on her bus.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Juliet Pratt, 54, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and assault.

On Wednesday, March 8, Upper Darby Police officers responded to Hillcrest Elementary School in Drexel Hill for a report of a 10-year-old boy assaulted by a bus driver who they later identified as Pratt. Surveillance video showed Pratt restraining the student with duct tape around his ankles and chest on her bus, investigators said. The student was seated on the bus in the district-supplied safety harness, according to police.

 

[MissMalowe]

Yikes! Seems the reason (according to thr bus driver) for the duct tape in addition to the district supplied safety harness, was due to the child kicking the back of the seats/disturbing other children.

Why not move him to the front passenger seat? Can't be behind the bus driver and have him kicking them while they're driving, but he could certainly sit on the front seat of the other side. Problem solved (well, except the noise)

What this driver did is terrible and was also unsafe!

On the flipside of that, I could never nor would I ever want to be a bus driver..... huge vehicle and too many people behind you that you're supposed to somehow pay attention to while driving an enormous bus. Not to mention the noise. No thanks!

You shouldnt have to worry about being duct taped though! Riding the school bus should also be a priviledge, and if you can't ride the bus without being a distraction to the driver or disrupting other students/riders, your parents should have to drive you to school.

 

[ifindedout]

Story with mugshot, basically a shorter version of the NBC10 story. From that story: "Pratt is currently out on bond. Her formal arraignment is scheduled for the end of June."

Upper Darby school bus driver accused of restraining 10-year-old boy with duct tape

A school bus driver in the Upper Darby School District is accused of restraining a boy on board with duct tape around his ankles and chest. She faces several charges, including endangering the welfare of a child.

www.audacy.com

 

[ifindedout]

Yikes! Seems the reason (according to thr bus driver) for the duct tape in addition to the district supplied safety harness, was due to the child kicking the back of the seats/disturbing other children.

Why not move him to the front passenger seat? Can't be behind the bus driver and have him kicking them while they're driving, but he could certainly sit on the front seat of the other side. Problem solved (well, except the noise)

There may be assigned seating on the buses, and the driver wouldn't (or couldn't, by policy) move him to another seat. Also, the bus was inbound, so there may have been no seats available.
Speaking of front passenger seat, where was the monitor? Don't school buses have monitors anymore, or have they become victims of budget cuts or staff shortages?

 

[LadyL]

There may be assigned seating on the buses, and the driver wouldn't (or couldn't, by policy) move him to another seat. Also, the bus was inbound, so there may have been no seats available.
Speaking of front passenger seat, where was the monitor? Don't school buses have monitors anymore, or have they become victims of budget cuts or staff shortages?

I've read about several school districts losing their 'monitors' in my area.