iIt's not clear what caused a Lawrence Township school bus to veer out of control in a loading zone in front and strike the principal of the Amy Beverland Elementary School and two ten-year old students, but the impact of this tragic accident is already being felt. The very popular principal, Susan Jordan, was killed almost immediately. The two students were transported to Riley Children's Hospital in serious but stable condition. The bus driver and the children on board the bus were uninjured. I found a special tribute video to Jordan put together by faculty and students at the school that was uploaded to YouTube last May, which is a testament to how much she was loved and respected by faculty and students.
That video said a lot about the care and leadership of the principal and how much she was loved by the community she served.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look into the crystal ball and say it was an elderly school bus driver who got confused. Seen this time and time again!
ReplyDeleteI don't know who Amy Beverland was, but maybe it is time to rename the school after Susan Jordan.
ReplyDeleteR.I.P.
The driver says the bus just lurched forward? I've been driving for a long time and vehicles simply do not lurch forward. She had it in a forward gear while idling. That was mistake number one. It should have been in neutral. This is common sense that I learned when I was 15. She might have been distracted. If so, that was mistake number two. Also common sense. When piloting a vehicle that weighs many tons, pay attention. Were drugs or alcohol involved? We don't know yet, but if so that would be mistake number three.
ReplyDeleteThe simple truth, like it or not, is that in this case as in every case where vehicles strike people, mistakes were made. We can acknowledge those mistakes and learn from them or we can pretend that incidents like this are unavoidable. They are most certainly not unavoidable, and that as much as anything else makes this loss tremendously tragic.
Yes, we should name the school after Susan Jordan.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea of changing the name to honor Mrs. Jordan. Anyone know how to start an online petition?
ReplyDeleteWow! Susan Jordan was born on the very day, "Uncle" Alan Burton Hall was born! The children was being watched by the watchful eyes of "Aunt" Susan Jordan. Well done, Susan. Rest easy, dear soul.
ReplyDelete