More teens at Bear River are being forced to have their parents drive them to school because of the drop in busses. The numbers of busses at the school are dwindling and now, only three busses serve the BRHS student body. Two go to Alta Sierra and the other takes kids down Wolf Road.

But, bus #42 is probably the most crowded, most rude, and most vile. Every day, before the students even step onto the bus, campus security has to diligently watch the oncoming students for misbehavior. All of the seats are overcrowded and people are sitting in the isle. Every other word yelled across the bus is a racial slur, “white power” phrase, or some sort vulgar language. What does the driver do about it? Absolutely nothing. She doesn’t even glance back to see the troublemakers that are causing the raucous. Understandably, the riders would probably overthrow her but, come on this is not a William Golding novel. Just a few days ago, they were singing a chant to the beat of “A Pirates Life for Me” degrading African Americans and Jewish people, loud enough for the whole town of Grass Valley to hear, and leaving all of the kids with raking headaches. Just because the majority of students at Bear River are Caucasian does not give anyone the right to degrade anyone else. Daily, kids wrestle in the seats, injuring other riders. The immaturity level of some high school students blows my mind.

The stop at Alta Sierra Drive and Norlene is one of the worst. Kids at the stop wait literally in the middle of the road waiting for the bus, purposely making sure that no car can pass. Just a few months ago, I was at the bus stop early in the morning and two police were there because one of the freshmen students riding the bus had threatened to bring a gun to school. Real classy. There is also a Silver Springs student who waits at the bus stop smoking cigarettes every morning in an alegeldy stolen golf cart. He hands the cigarettes out to freshmen like free candy. It sure makes everyone who has to deal with it smell really nice. Students waiting at the stop complain of how the smoke affects their own lungs. Some even say that they are allergic to it but, of course, that does not stop him. While on the bus, he chews and spits tobacco all over the bus floor.

The bus is not supposed to be a luxury limousine but give me a break. It should at least be a bit sanitary and not an endangerment to our health. With the chanting, “Hail Ragnar” ringing in my ears, it is hard to have some time of tranquility. Though Ragnar would approve, he was Viking and that is not appropriate behavior for the Bruins.