The question of whether to install air-conditioners in St. Charles Parish school buses is an easy one to answer for two parents, a former driver and a student interviewed exclusively by the Herald-Guide. Parents like Tonya Lively of Luling say that all school buses should be air conditioned because children can suffer during the hotter months of the year. Riding a bus is tough enough, she said, without having to deal with the heat.
“My son has come home sick from riding the bus in the afternoon,” said Lively. “He has gotten extremely nauseated from the heat and all the stopping and starting.”
Lively pointed out that when the air-conditioning in someone’s car or truck goes out, they’ll do what ever it takes to get it fixed.
“Why should our children suffer,” asked Lively.
Some residents suggest that all bus seats come equipped with fans to help cool the kids even more.
One former bus driver said that when she drove buses for the parish, she used a fan and feels that a little cooler air may aid children who ride the bus.
Allemands Elementary student, Katelyn Pitre agrees with parents that buses need to be cooler.
“They should have air condition on the bus – when I get off even my underwear is sweaty,” said Pitre. “It makes me thirsty for plenty of water.
Not everyone thinks air-conditioning is the biggest issue involving buses. Some say the parish should put seat belts in buses first and then put in the A/Cs.
“I think that the buses should have air-conditioning due to the hot Louisiana weather,” said Diana Laing of Des Allemands. “But before air-conditioning is installed I feel that seatbelts should be installed.”
“It is a state law that children wear seatbelts while riding in a personal vehicle, so why not in buses,” questioned Laing.
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