Takeaways from a Burlington bus driver's decision to remove a group of students mid-route

A group of students were kicked off a Green Mountain Transit bus on their way home from school in late May — and the discussion quickly turned to race.

The May 23 incident involved a bus transporting students from Edmunds Middle and Elementary School, many of them students of color, according to Burlington School District officials.The removal of students kicked off a Burlington City Council meeting June 3 where Mark Sousa, the general manager of Green Mountain Transit (GMT), addressed the incident.

Burlington School District does not run its own school bus service, instead contracting GMT to ferry students on regular bus routes. These "School Trippers" are also open to the general public.

Young passengers ejected from the bus attend some of the most diverse public schools in Vermont. The incident provoked conversations about a number of subjects, including the treatment of students of color; required training for bus drivers; the behavior of the students on the bus; and the decision to remove passengers away from their intended stops.

Read more: https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2019/06/10/burlington-students-removed-gmt-bus-looking-bigger-picture/1270157001/