The Week in Review: Recap on the Bus Scandal
There has been a lot of speculation on Facebook and in conversations around the village regarding the bus vandalism that occurred during the evening of January 8th. Some information was intentionally withheld during the investigation and some information, such as the identification of the juveniles, will forever be officially withheld. Regardless, due to the fast work of the Washtenaw County Sheriff Office, within 24 hours, two juveniles were interviewed and confessed to the vandalism at the Manchester bus yard.
A follow-up conversation with Superintendent Vannatter confirmed that the two juveniles are indeed students in the Manchester School district. One student is in the middle school and the other is in high school. During the evening of Wednesday, January 8th, the two students entered into the unfenced bus yard and let the air out of all of the front tires of the fifteen buses sitting outside of the garage. In all, thirty tires were flattened and the valve stems were damaged by the tool that they used to force the air to escape. All buses were unhooked from the heating blocks rendering them unable to start the next morning. The buses are diesel and the fuel tends to gel if it gets too cold. A wrecker had to be called in to pump enough air into the tires to move the buses into the garage for repair. Mechanics spent the entire day repairing the fleet to prepare for school the next day.
Superintendent Vannatter was quick to say that she “Appreciates the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and their quick response. We are very thankful to them for helping us and to work on this case as quickly as they have.”
What has not been addressed are the damages indirectly associated with this event. Due to school being canceled at the last minute, there were hundreds of parents left scrambling for childcare for their children for the fourth straight day. Many parents were late to work or had to call in. There are staff members at the school who do not get paid unless they work. Those staff members were left unpaid for another day.
With rain and freezing temperatures coming our way this week, Mrs. Vannatter is concerned that the district will reach the limit for the number of days off during the school year. Our schedule allows for six days off from school for snow or any other reason. We have now taken four of those days. If we have more than two more, Mrs. Vannatter will have to consider the option of adding more school days into the calendar to meet the state requirements. It is yet to be seen, but the community may be paying for this incident in the months to come.
At the end of this ordeal, the juveniles will be responsible for the actual damages that the school district incurred. This includes the valve stems, the mechanic’s time, and payment for the wrecker. Superintendent Vannatter estimated the actual damages at less than $500 – a misdemeanor. They will enter into the criminal justice system and the case will be settled there. Many residents have strong feelings about what should happen to these juveniles, however, it is not for us to decide. We cannot cast that stone.
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