Girl, 8, banned from reading on school bus

An eight-year-old girl in Canada has been told to stop reading books on the school bus because it’s a safety risk.

Thu, 23 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Peter Towe

Little Sarah Auger loves reading, so used her 20-minute bus ride to school in the mornings to partake in a bit of page turning.

That's until her bus driver told her to stop because she might poke herself in the eye with the corners of the book.

She was also told reading posed a risk to other students on the bus as they might stand up to see what she was reading.

Understandably, her father thinks it is ridiculous and wants it changed, so he complained to the school board.

Daniel Abel, like any proud parent, wants to encourage his daughter's love of reading by allowing her to do so as often as possible.

Daniel said: "I find it stupid and useless", but the school board said it is up to the bus driver to make the rules on the bus.

Mario Champagne, general secretary and director of communications for the Hautes-Rivière school board, said: "The responsibility of a school bus driver is to transport students safely."

However, the board did concede that reading is "obviously" not dangerous.

The board statement also pointed out that students' personal belongings, including books, had to stay in their bags during their trip home on school buses.