23-Feb-2025

I’ve heard people complaining here and there about how schools don’t do anything to promote or consider students’ needs, both including and outside of mental health. I witnessed one such incident a couple days ago. My friend and I have Chemistry as our last class, and from there we always walk to the bus ramp and then get on our buses to go home. However, the other day, we were taking a lengthy Chemistry test. I managed to finish on time and headed to my bus outside; my friend, however, was struggling to finish, so she stayed for a few minutes after class to finish her test. She made it outside just after the administrators closed the ramp and stopped people from getting on. The administrators always did this to prepare the buses for leaving, but the buses would be stationary for a good 2-3 minutes before leaving. I don’t think it’s right that they don’t let students on if they have missed their bus. Many, including my friend, live far from the school and/or don’t have rides home and therefore depend on the bus to get home. The administrator monitoring the bus departure wouldn’t allow my friend to get on her bus, which was standing completely still, despite her begging them to let her on since she wouldn’t have a ride home until late. She then panicked as she would have to stay at school until late and didn’t know what to do. Frantically walking around the area to try and find a friend who would drop her home, she couldn’t spot anyone she knew from her neighborhood and broke down out of frustration. She asked another staff member for help, but none of the solutions they provided were feasible or effective. After about 30 minutes of searching for a solution, her step-brother told her he was able to get out of work early to pick her up. She had figured he was busy with work so didn’t think she could get a ride from him, but he managed to get her home safely. If the staff had let her get on her bus before it had left, none of this would have happened. The staff are often unaware of certain minor issues like this that arise on the daily. Despite how much they say they try, this experience told me that there wasn’t a lot of active stance from the staff members’ end; my friend had to clean up her mess that they made on her own. This yet again proves that some areas lack quality help measures in schools. That a number of staff members don’t know how to or won’t take an active leap into keeping their word and helping a student with their problems. It’s time that we put an end to this lack of compassion so that every individual gets the proper help they deserve.