Background checks on school bus drivers, Native American aid

Sex charges? Get background checks

I felt sad reading the article “School bus driver faced prior teen sex allegation” [News, Oct. 14]. Almost 20 years ago, when I was employed as a court worker for Child Protective Services in Suffolk County, I was covering a sex-abuse trial in which a respondent was accused of abusing his child.

I was shocked when the county attorney asked what the man’s occupation was, and he said he was a school bus driver. Later, I asked my supervisor how that man ever got past the CPS screenings. I was informed that school bus drivers were not subject to the Statewide Central Registry background checks, as teachers were.

I’m astonished that this oversight has not been corrected. Background checks, including CPS and criminal checks, should be mandatory for anyone hired for a job involving contact with children.

— Barbara Haynes, Hauppauge

Native Americans deserve more aid

President Joe Biden’s apology about government-run boarding schools was long overdue [“Apology to Native Americans,” Nation & World, Oct. 26]. He did what no other sitting president has done.

It reminds people of the presence of Native Americans. However, an “apology” doesn’t make up for centuries of historic violence and injustices inflicted upon the Indigenous people by the U.S. government.

Additional assistance is needed to help tribes alleviate significant current problems: high poverty rates, inadequate health care access, limited educational opportunities, alcohol and substance abuse, environmental concerns on native land, and violence on reservations. Add to that the 48% of households on Native American land that do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation, according to author Heather Tanana.

Hopefully, the next administration will actively address and assist Native Americans with these challenges.

— Chet Lukaszewski, Huntington

The writer is a retired high school teacher who developed an American Indian Studies course.