OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — A father in Oconomowoc is trying to use a near-tragic moment to drive change.
"That day, it was different, and we didn't know it was going to be different. And it almost ended terribly,” Anthony Birch said.
His 5-year-old daughter, June, was getting off the bus and crossing the street on Jan. 27, like she always does. However, the home security camera captured the bus driver starting to drive forward.
"That day could have been horrific for my family. My daughter could have died,” Anthony said.
Watch: Oconomowoc dad addresses school board after near tragic moment
He said his wife, Olivia, watched their young daughter quickly step back from the moving bus.
Olivia screamed and waved her hands to stop the substitute driver as she ran to rescue her daughter. It’s an afternoon the Birch family will never forget.
"She (June) asked if we remembered the bus incident that happened. And we asked her how she felt about it or if she was thinking about it a lot. And she said, 'No, I like to think about happy things.' And we told her that that's her job—to think about the happy things—and it's our job to keep her safe,” Anthony said.
That's why he spoke to the Oconomowoc Area School District Board Wednesday evening.
"Now we share a responsibility. Me, you, district leadership, to make changes now and not after the serious injury or death of a child,” Anthony said during the school board meeting.
Anthony offered some ideas, like bus safety days, bus boarding guidance in the district, and notifications when kids have substitute drivers.
"This isn't just a lucrative contract with a district. They are choosing to transport the most precious part of our community, which is our children,” Anthony said.
The district sent this statement Wednesday evening:
The incident occurred during an afternoon bus route in an Oconomowoc neighborhood and the family notified the district after it occurred. Since the incident there have been multiple conversations with the family and our transportation provider, Go Riteway. Go Riteway has many safety expectations and protocols for drivers and they have been reinforcing those expectations with their staff. We continue to talk with them about strategies to ensure our students are transported to and from school safely.
We did reach out to the bus company for comment and did not hear back in time for this report.
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