Just The Facts About Bus Incident

North Kitsap School District a great place to live and learn! March, 2009

JUST THE FACTS About An Alleged Bus Incident Quick Facts: There was an alleged incident aboard a Kingston Middle School afternoon bus on March 11. The Kitsap County Sherriff’s Department is conducting an investigation. Two students have been emergency expelled. One student is facing criminal charges.

Frequently Asked Questions: 1. Why did parents have to learn this information from a newspaper, and not our school? Kingston Middle School Principal Susan Wistrand notified the Kitsap County Sherriff's office as soon as her internal investigation revealed that there was a possibility of criminal behavior. When the Sherriff's Department is investigating possible criminal behavior by juveniles, we are not allowed to divulge any information that could in some way hinder their investigation. After the Kitsap County Sherriff's Department charged one of the students, they released a summary of their investigation to the media. After law enforcement releases their information, we have permission to share a limited amount of information with parents and staff. We are also responsible for protecting the identity of the juveniles involved in this situation as well as other students.

2. Why did it take a week for information to be released? Law enforcement officials needed to interview a number of students, some more than one or two times, in order to get a clear picture of what happened on the bus. That process took a significant amount of time.

3. What disciplinary action has the school taken? Two students are on emergency expulsion while the investigation continues.

4. What criminal charges have been filed? One KMS student has been charged with 3rd Degree Rape. (Please note: this is not what your first mental image of the word "rape" is. It can also be unwanted sexual touching. There was no forced intercourse on the bus.)

5. Why didn’t the bus driver intervene? It was not obvious to the driver that an alleged incident was taking place in the very back of the bus. The dri ver heard nothing unusual and all students got off the bus smiling and nobody reported a problem. Students who were sitting near the area of the alleged incident were also not aware there was a problem. Initial reports were not made to KMS administrators until Thursday, and these early reports were sketchy and did not indicate the severity of this alleged incident.

6. Was the bus driver disciplined? Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that there was no reason for the driver to be put on leave.

7. Was there a camera on the bus? No. We do not have cameras on all school buses.

8. What kind of safety training do bus drivers receive? NK Bus Drivers have regular training on all safety issues that can arise on a bus. There has never been an incident of this nature before. This particular driver is very experienced and has never had a problem on a bus that was not appropriately resolved.

9. Who do I contact if I have any questions or comments? Please contact Chris Case, Director of Community Relations, 360-779-8703.