After reading through the affidavit on the arrest of Michael Chick, a bus driver who worked in the Greenland school district, more information has been revealed that should concern every parent whose child rides the school bus. Not only was Chick reassigned after complaints by the 8-year old’s parents, the police ordered him in May not to have any contact with the child. At the same time, “School Administration contacted the bus company, First Student, and requested that Chick be assigned to a different route (so he would not drive the 8-year old boy or his sister anymore). Chick would then drive other children instead.
There was an opportunity for parents to address the school board and administrators prior to the start of the school board meeting. However, many parents were not notified that this discussion would take place. How come no one sent a notification to the parents who have children in the Greenland schools that this meeting would take place? Some parents found out about it and showed up, but many are reporting they didn’t hear anything. Something this serious should warrant a public meeting where the entire community can attend, but they need to be notified first.
The people tasked with protecting children, ignored the warning signs of a groomer and instead placed him on another bus where he could access more children.
The affidavit reveals that Chick was spotted sitting by the side of the road taking pictures of kids at Water Country in Portsmouth in July. This was reported to police by someone who saw him taking the pictures.
The affidavit also reveals that Chick terrorized the 8-year-old boy by threatening him and his family. The boy was to provide pictures of himself to avoid any harm that could come to him and his family.
The contents of audio, captured by surveillance placed on the school bus, also reveal that Chick thought he might be transferred to another district:
Chick pressures the boy to take a cell phone, so he can stay in contact with him. Chick uses the excuse that he’s protecting the boy from a gang that wants to harm him and his family.
Chick also planted tracking devices on the cars of the parents and used that information to further terrorize the 8-year-old boy.
The police then provide details the investigation.
Here is some of what was reported:
Someone in Greenland made the decision to reassign Chick to another bus after the police instructed Chick to have no contact with the 8-year-old boy. There is nothing in the affidavit that indicates the school district administrators or the bus company conducted any kind of investigation on Chick. There was enough evidence for the police to intervene and instruct Chick to have no contact with the boy or his family.
You would think that something like this would have been taken seriously given a former school bus driver pled guilty several years ago in Kittery, Maine, for sexual assault against a child.
Parents want answers. They want someone accountable for reassigning Chick to another bus after there was evidence that something disturbing was going on. This was a classic case of grooming and there was some evidence that the family and the police picked up on. If the police feel that a bus driver should have no contact with a child, that should be enough evidence to stop him from having any contact with other children too. But the people charged with protecting children in the district and from the bus company simply passed the trash.
This happened in Greenland but it could have happened at any school in this state.
Who made the decision to reassign Chick?
Every district should make transparent the contract that their employees work under, and those who are contracted to provide services to the children in the district. Let’s see the contract that the driver works under that allows them to be transferred after a complaint is made.
When there is any complaint of this nature, the individual should be removed immediately so that an investigation could take place. In this case, if he is a threat to an 8-year old boy, he should have been terminated.
There are other teamsters working for other companies where this kind of behavior would have resulted in swift action, like a termination. There is no good reason to reassign Chick to another bus under these conditions.
