CCS “Loses” Bus Load of Kids on illegal First Day back at School!!

The call came in to Robert A at 07:51 this very morning, Thursday, August 17, 2023. The second day of School for CCS according to their illegal school schedule. (Scroll back a day or so for the information on the “Legal Peril” CCS is in according to the State Board of Education as well as the NC Department of Public Instruction. Apparently, CCS and the CCS School Board have acted illegally and have been properly made aware of their transgressions. Now, since Kings Mountain Middle School lost a School Bus yesterday, it seems CCS is in more trouble that even Robert A could imagine. The following report was shared with Robert A this morning about major problems at KMMS yesterday. Morning and afternoon.

According to trusted source: a child and his caregiver were waiting at the pre-determined school bus-stop at the allotted time (before 0700 am) for the child to be picked up by the predetermined school bus for a bus ride to Kings Mountain Middle School. The pair waited and waited and waited some more and no school bus ever arrived. Several calls were made to Kings Mountain Middle School and nobody at KMMS would pick up on the telephone. The Caregiver eventually made arrangements to drive the student to KMMS where she found out that the School Bus Driver for that particular school bus did not drive that bus on that day (and neither did anybody else) because the bus-driver’s Medical Doctor had instructed that bus driver NOT to drive a school bus that day. The bus had never moved from KMMS that day which means two things:

1.A whole busload of students was not picked up by the school bus that morning.
2.KMMS had no replacement or standby bus driver available that morning, nor for that afternoon as the parents eventually got their “bus left” children to school some other way.

Now, it is time for school to let out and the student in question has been assigned to another bus where the bus driver is covering two routes. Maybe.

The Caregiver waits and waits for the child to return home from school way past the appointed time that the child was supposed to be let off the school bus. Multiple calls were made to KMMS that afternoon. And like that morning, nobody answers the phone at KMMS. So, eventually, the caregiver drives to KMMS and the School is closed and all the doors are locked. The caregiver walks all around the school looking for the missing child, but the child is not found anywhere.

So, it is well after 6:00 pm when the frantic caregiver decides to drive home in a desperate hope that somehow the child was delivered home safely, before she goes to the Police Station to report the child as missing.
When the Caregiver returns home, the child is sitting on the front steps. The caregiver asks how long the child had been there and the child reports that he had just returned to the empty home just minutes before. The Child did not remember the school-bus number except that it was NOT the bus that he was assigned to ride to and from KMMS. The child had been returned hours late and no calls to the caregiver from KMMS had been made.

Robert A has taken pains to NOT identify the Caregiver as a parent or a relative or anybody else., or the name of the child, or give the School Bus Number for fear the child and that Caregiver would be retaliated against. As was almost certain if they can be identified by CCS amongst the busload of children and their caregivers that must have suffered this very same experience. Children left on the streets alone when dropped off by late school buses. It is certain that Robert Queen, Stephen Fisher, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch, Greg Taylor and Walter Scott Spurling will write this all off as just misunderstandings and confusion that always happens on the first day back to school.

But, Folks, consider the ramifications here. In this day and time with school shootings, school kids sexually abused by all kinds of perverts at school, outside of schools and on the streets as well documented by the well over 100 sexual offenders on the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Sexual Offenders list right here in Cleveland County alone. And, don’t forget about little Asha Degree. The Fallston Elementary School Student that has been missing all these many, many years and not a clue in sight.

Folks, in this day and time, a child is at risk every time that child walks out his or her front or back door. Much less when left alone on the street by some poor planning and implementation of a school bus system right here in Cleveland County. This is serious business and CCS should be called out hard for dumping a busload of kids on the street in a dangerous situation to begin with.

Robert Queen, where were you while all this stuff was going on??? Stephen Fisher, we know where YOU were on this first day of School. YOU were speeding up and down the roads of Cleveland County in a publicity stunt to show your face at every school in Cleveland County on that First day of school. Fisher goes on a publicity stunt instead of making sure all the students get to school safely in the morning and returned home safely every evening after school is closed. And Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Rodney Fitch, Ron Humphries, Greg Taylor and Walter Scott Spurling give Supt. Fisher major bonuses and $250,000 in pay to do publicity stunts instead of real work.

Shame, Shame, Shame on you, Cleveland County Schools and the do nothing, know nothing SIX on the CCS School Board. The child in this article was lucky. And, so were you: Stephen Fisher, Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Rodney Fitch, Walter Spurling, Greg Taylor and Ron Humphries (who lives in Kings Mountain)!! The citizens in Cleveland County expect that this episode that happened yesterday does NOT ever repeat itself today, tomorrow or any other day in Cleveland County.

Folks, Robert A believes, by now, that all y’all are wondering what Robert A would do, if he were elected as a Cleveland County Commissioner, to straighten out the mess at CCS and the and the School Board.

Well Folks, there is actually a lot the Cleveland County Commissioners could do, if properly motivated and inclined, as Robert A is, to “FIX” CCS and the School Board. This would be a long list, probably too long and fully detailed for this one article, so Robert A will start with the obvious and just hit on the high spots.

1.Robert A, when elected Commissioner in 2024 would Reduce the CCS School Board to meet state law. Which is 5 School Board members per school district elected to four-year terms. To start, Robert A declare an educational Emergency in Cleveland County, then remove all nine of the existing school board members and appoint five new school board members (which would include some old school board members-except for Robert Queen and his crowd who have clearly shown that they are toxic to CCS) to the School Board.) Three for four-year terms and two to a two-year initial term and 4-year terms after that.).

2.Next, Robert A would roll out a reorganizational plan to separate educational functions completely away from such things as School Maintenance, operations and construction, Food Services, School Bus scheduling, maintenance, etc., would be merged with TACC. A new Superintendent, totally responsible for education and only for education would be appointed and the Education part would be held tightly accountable for education and nothing but education. Pay would be tilted toward educational performance with liberal bonuses paid for high performing teachers and staff. The other non-educational functions of CCS would be merged with the eq univalent Cleveland Community College and County functions to increase and enhance personnel training and experience and especially cost effectiveness and cost savings. Much of this work that is presently contracted out to construction companies would be done in house to further enhance cost savings and employee experience and competence. Courses would be developed at Cleveland Community College to teach advanced construction and maintenance skills to the point that Cleveland County would be able to design, construct/build future facilities and maintain them for the life of the structures with in-house people. Presently Cleveland County has around 25 schools, the Justice Center and other long term needs that such a program would enhance in a cost effective and future thinking manner.

3.For all the plans noted above, as well as such things as the Animal Services failures, Robert A would encourage concerned citizens to come together into advanced cells of Public Participation advocates to study the problems facing Cleveland County and suggest to the Commissioners valid and low-cost implementation of those solutions. When these citizens plans are developed, Robert A would support, upon review, immediate implementation. Just think, there are 5 Commissioners and 100,000 other citizens residing in Cleveland County. Why has the Commissioners and School Board not been wise enough to take advantage of all that wasted and unwanted brainpower before now. Stupidity is as stupidity does. Robert A, as a Commissioner, doesn’t plan on doing anything in a stupid manner.

Folks, just remember, this is only the high spots with lots of details that Robert A and his team will have to work out. But, look around at all the other Commissioners and School Board members. You have NOT seen or heard one word from them, or anybody else, that comes close to this conceptual plan as laid-out above by Robert A if he were to run and be elected to the office of Cleveland County Commissioner. Think about that for a while. And pay attention to every article that Robert A will write between now and the 2024 elections. Afterwards too. As a Commissioner, Robert A would explain to the citizens of Cleveland County why he advocates what he advocates and all the associated reasons. Robert A, would keep all the citizens of Cleveland County advised on what is going on. Kinda like he already does.