Date: Fri 12-Jun-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

McCulloch-Jossick-duct-tape

Full Text:

Bus Driver Reprimanded For Taping Student's Mouth Shut

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Superintendent of Schools John Reed said this week that Bob McCulloch, bus

driver, will lose his contract to drive for Newtown Schools if he repeats what

he did to Middle Gate fourth grader, Kevin Jossick. Mr McCulloch taped the

boy's mouth shut.

Cheryl Jossick, Kevin's mother, said, "I think I should be getting mad, but

it's not my style."

She said that when Kevin walked in the door on June 4, "he was not acting

himself. We said `What's wrong?' And he described how the bus driver pulled

the bus over and told him `I warned you I was going to do it, and here it

is.'"

Mr McCulloch used duct tape to tape Kevin's mouth shut while, according to Mrs

Jossick, the other kids on the bus where pointing and laughing. She said Kevin

was humiliated.

As they arrived at Kevin's stop, Mrs Jossick said that Mr McCulloch had Kevin

"rip the tape off himself, just before getting off the bus."

Kevin had chapped-lips and a bit of a cold at the time, and when he ripped the

tape off Mrs Jossick remembers, "off came the chapped lips with it. It really

hurt."

According to Mrs Jossick, Kevin still has a moustache (five days later) only

now "it's yellow not red."

Dr Reed said, "I've been a superintendent for 24 years, and this is something

I've not been exposed to before."

Both Dr Reed and Mrs Jossick said that Mr McCulloch was very apologetic.

Mrs Jossick recalled that at the meeting with school officials Monday, "He had

his tail between his legs, big time." She said Mr McCulloch said "I lost it. I

made a mistake."

School officials agreed to Mrs Jossick's request that Kevin ride a different

bus until the end of the school year.

But Mrs Jossick has more long-term concerns both for Kevin and the other

children who were on the bus at the time.

She said "I can hear the jungle drums. Everybody is talking about it." She

doesn't know how that will affect Kevin. With statewide publicity, she

questioned how long Kevin will be known as "the guy who got his mouth taped."

Also, concerned for all the children who saw the incident, Mrs Jossick said "I

hope none of those kids model that behavior, the taping."

Reprimand

Dr Reed said "we are not here to shelter him [Mr McCulloch]. It is

unacceptable and I think we are very clear on that. If it happens again, he

knows his contract will be terminated on-the-spot."

Dr Reed also said that this was out-of-character for Mr McCulloch. He said,

"Here's a guy with pretty good judgment, who made a bad mistake. If someone

had told me about the incident but had not named the driver, he would have

been one of the last I would have thought of. I believe that this will not

happen again. I am confident that he has learned his lesson."

"If people are dealing with an issue," continued Dr Reed, "we expect the

owner-operator to reach out to the parents and the principal."

Dr Reed is reiterating the importance of following this policy at the annual

bus safety meeting June 11.

Mr McCulloch was not available for comment.