Christina and Christopher Gring insist that they were just trying to stop the bullying of their young son when they went onto the bus. They clearly made a mistake, particularly when they allegedly started screaming at terrified students and using profanities. However, they were then arrested for conduct that at one time would have resulted in a meeting with the principal and clear guidelines on staying away from the bus in the future.
They are charged with “unlawfully entering a school bus, threatening children and other misdemeanors.” Their son is a student at North Wales elementary school. They say that their son left the bus crying after being bullied. The children say that the two were cursing and threatening them.
However, the school released the following statements:
“In conducting a follow-up internal investigation of the incident, North Penn School District found no reports of bullying of the accused couple’s child. Under no circumstances does NPSD ever want a parent boarding a bus or taking matters into their own hands.”
I could not find the code on unlawful entry on a school bus. I would be interested on how it is defined.
We have previously discussed the criminalization of conduct in America. I am very disturbed by their conduct and, as a parent, I would be pretty ticked off. However, is an arrest necessary? Bus service for the family could be suspended or the parents could be asked to stay a certain number of feet from the bus if they want their child to continue on the service.
What do you think?
I think a restraining order may have been the best solution. We had a father who was out of control at my school. He’d stand around staring at children during his son’s recess time, yell at children…and do other strange things. One morning just before the start of school, he stormed into my classroom as the children were arriving and demanded, in a loud voice, that I point out a little girl to him. He said he wanted to speak to her because she had been teasing his son. That little girl looked completely shaken. I told the man I would not point her out to him and that he had to leave my classroom. The school had to get a restraining order against him. After that incident, he was not allowed to go past the front desk at our building.
After talking with the little girl, I discovered that both the boy and his father had made nasty comments to her because she was fatherless. (Her father had died when she was a toddler.)
If parents fear that their child is being bullied, they should sit down with the school principal, counselor, and their child’s teacher to discuss the problem. There are much better ways of handling a situation of suspected bullying.
leejcaroll,
Thanks for that additional link which helped fill in some of the holes the Mailonline article didn’t address.
Yes, I know the child was not on the school bus… and I further read and watched videos online about the incident. My comment was kind of just in general as a parent who protects their children… I do not think the kids were “terrorized” by the yelling of the adults. Maybe they were scared which I am sure was the intent of the parents at any cost. Like I said, I have watched bullying come in many shapes towards kids by kids and by adults (teachers) and (repeating) it is up to the parents to ensure their safety which should be on the shoulders of the bus driver in this incident. The bus driver is not a coach nor cop but an employee that transports our children “safely” to and from school and any (and all) “incidents” are to be reported to the principal especially bullying which is a suspendable act… at least in my school district.
RWL… Ya, okay. I picked up my child every single day for lunch for 2 years, drove him to and from school, had many meeting with the principal, emailed the teachers (regularly)… My child will NOT retaliate… it is not in his nature to hurt anyone in anyway.. So, then what?
Tina,
Did you email the superintendent? Board of directors who hired the superintendent? The superintendent’s assistants?
You have to go the top if you want change to occur. But you also have to do your homework before you email the ‘big wigs’: names of everyone, including children involved, time and dates when you talked to the principals and teachers, copies of emails forwarded to the superintendent(s), and what you have done to resolve the issue to the best of your abilities.
I am sorry that your son is not a fighter, but I can only speculate on what to do based upon what my wife and I have been through. And I don’t know the whole story of your situation.
Patricia, The worst bullying my undersized Colombian son experienced was on a school bus. That is a petri dish of viral aggression and bus drivers are often times ill equipped to deal w/ it. They’re bus drivers, not coaches or cops.
Really? The parents could’ve handle this better than walking on a school bus. You can always email the superintendent or his/hers assistants when you feel the principal is not handling the situation as best as he/she should be? You can also visit the school at least twice a week, eat lunch with, and attend recess with your child to see who is doing what to whom? If you have a vehicle, and your child takes the bus, pick your child up from school every now and then? When did the parents first know about their child being bullied? Was this the first incident or the ‘last straw that broke the camel’s back’?
Or you can do the old fashion method that my wife taught our daughter when she was 8 years old: Time to Fight (when my daughter was 14, she was being teased my another 14 year old girl. After the bus drop them off, my daughter waited until the bus pulled off. Then, she caught the other girl off guard, and let her have it. Since the ‘beat down’ occurred (the word spread quickly in the neighborhood, and some neighbors still remember it) my daughter never had a problem with that individual or anyone throughout high school).
I had heard about this but did not realize it was in my school district. You always think nothing happens where you live.
As the bus was pulling away, police said, Christina Kathryn Gring, 24 — who resides on the block — flagged down the bus, and the driver stopped and opened the door, believing that Gring’s child had left something on the bus.
At that point, according to a criminal complaint filed in district court, Gring and her husband, Christopher Gring, 30, ran onto the bus without permission, yelling, “Who made my son cry?”
Police said that while Christopher Gring stood on the steps of the bus, near the driver, Christina Gring went to the back of the bus and began questioning students and frightening them to the point where some of the children began crying and hiding under their seats.
Both Christina and Christopher Gring directed foul or obscene language toward the children and the bus driver during the incident, according to the complaint, and at one point Christina Gring threatened “to kick the children’s (expletive) if they continued to pick on her son,” police said.
As they were leaving the bus, court documents state, Christopher Gring yelled, “My kid can beat any of you guys.”
A dozen children on the bus were crying upon the couple leaving the bus, police said.
During the subsequent investigation of the incident, police said, Christina Gring provided a written statement to authorities admitting to entering the bus, while Christopher Gring admitted in a written statement that he used foul or obscene language.
Arrest warrants were issued for the Grings on Monday, and the couple was taken into custody Tuesday morning and arraigned before District Judge Robert Sobeck of Whitpain on identical charges of unauthorized school bus entry, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct — all misdemeanors — as well as summary harassment.
http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20131030/police-north-wales-couple-stormed-school-bus-threatened-elementary-students-for-reportedly-picking-on-their-son
The school sayd they never received any reports about the child being bullied.
I think both sides were wrong. Since they were all misdemeanors 10,000$ seems excessive as well as their staying in jail.
On the other hand they did terrorize the children, they did enter the bus, etc.
$10,000 bond seems excessive, but I didnt see anything in the article about the defendants’ criminal history, if any, so if they had failed to appear for other matters, it could explain the high amount.
Also, can I just add that calling someone a Nazi because they like the idea of their kid being able to ride a school bus without having to worry about angry parents coming on and threatening to beat them up is simply lazy and inaccurate. I mean, the Nazi party was ALL about public intimidation, including by civilians.
Tina,
Their kid wasn’t on the bus. From the article, “According to the police affidavit, Christina Gring flagged down the bus after it dropped off her son and the driver stopped thinking that her son must have left something on board.”
You need a better reason to enter school property than to yell at kids.
Tina,
No, you do not have that legal right. Due to unfortunate incidents in the past, most schools these days have limited access, locked outside doors and even armed security in the form of school resource officers or professional security guards. You cannot just go barging in. Most schools will allow parental access with no problem, however that access comes with rules. Likewise, boarding a bus to assist your child is usually not a problem with the permission of the driver. On the other hand, start a ruckus with other kids, the driver, or other parents and you will get to enjoy the Sheriff’s hospitality at the county bed and breakfast inn.
Another place you cannot follow your child is if they are being detained by the law and are locked up in juvenile detention.
The very worst bullying I experienced happened on a school bus, and those CRIMINALS will someday fry in hell for doing it to me. The boy’s parents should have sued school bus officials for allowing their son to be abused instead of getting themselves in trouble by scaring all those kids. Bullies should be banned from riding the bus. Bus drivers just ignore the torture suffered by the abused kid because the abusers are in the majority and it’s too much of a hassle to keep the peace on the bus. Bullies are like wild apes beating their chest to show who’s boss and ganging up on the social outcast. Bullies bully because they CAN.
Nazi, I have the right to enter any premises or vehicle where my child is at anytime I wish.
Gyges,
HUH?
That should sum it up but I can’t help myself. Yes, Gyges you have to sign in at schools and have a reason to be there.. thus, your children. Ahh. As for the yelling… that is where your “so what” remark should have been placed. Go into your school.. you will hear plenty of yelling from adults and students alike. You apparently are the “bully” because you have zero clue! That is all the words I have for you as I think they are most likely wasted.
Tina: As the school bus was not the legal property of the defendants, it did, in fact, belong to “someone else.” Even as taxpayers, we aren’t entitled to enter a school building or a school bus, whenever we feel like it. If someone enter my vehicle to scream at me or my children, I will certainly have them arrested.
This isn’t a matter of rights. It’s a matter of hyper-aggressive parents trying to bully other children. I’m astounded that you people don’t understand that your so-called “rights” end where they infringe on someone else’s.
“Not sure how they forcefully entered a public vehicle nor do I believe that they’re son was not being bullied.”
Jason,
When you enter school buildings around here, you have to sign in, and unless you have a reason for being there that isn’t “yelling at kids” you’re probably going to be asked to leave.
As for the kid being bullied, so what? Being an adult means being responsible for your actions, not pinning your bad behavior or children.
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.
If I sounded repetitive.. my error, did not refresh..
I think the parents were wrong to enter the bus and there was no reason to have them arrested.. a bit over kill. My son was very young when I decided to transport him to school instead of him riding the bus which I think, from experience, is a free for all stomping ground for bullying…physically and mentally which can result in permanent scars to a young child. The parents reacted as parents do.. to protect their children from harm… sometimes you see red when it comes to someone hurting your child to the point of tears or physical marks. As I said, they should not have gone on the bus…but it is hard to not react. I am sure they are aware of this now and should have taken it up with the principal or the parents of the bullies… I homeschool now and wish I had not turned a blind eye for so many years to the pain my child had to endure on a daily basis which is something NO adult would put up with in their workplace.. we, as adults, would confront the bully (as the above parents did), report them, or change our jobs.. Kids are people too. It is up to the parents to be their voice and ensure that they are in a safe environment… even if it means wrong choices because we, as parents are only looking to keep our children safe. So, Nazi it did not warrant an arrest…I would think that I have the right to board the school bus at anytime as a parent of a student that rides said bus for many reasons. So, it was Not forcibly entering “someone else’s” vehicle… This is a school bus correct? Ya.
I have been researching this. I spoke w/ a friend who lives in that area. He told me there may be some racial overtones. The alleged bullies are black but that is not confirmed by police or news outlets. I’ve watched the news reports[little print coverage]. One station interviewed both white and black people who know this couple. Both said they’re good parents and while empathetic, thought they just overreacted like many parents would in the heat of the moment, mommy and daddy bear syndrome. One girl on the bus was interviewed and said she was scared by the couple. Arrest, probably not necessary, but I would like more info before making a final judgment. Here is one judgment I will make, bail was set @ 10k. That was draconian.
Nazi… ^
Not sure how they forcefully entered a public vehicle nor do I believe that they’re son was not being bullied.
Could have been handled better…
I personally think forcibly entering someone else’s vehicle to threaten them warrants an arrest. Call me a Nazi.