Talk about learning who your true friends are.
One veteran Wilton school bus driver now knows that the parents of the many kids he has driven over the years definitely have his back.
He learned that after facing suspension following a weather-related, one-vehicle accident on the job last Friday, Jan. 9, and seeing the outpouring of support in the days afterward from parents. That support came in the form of emails, phone calls and even an online petition asking school administrators to reinstate him.
Last Friday, Vincent “Vinny” Callanan was driving the route he’d driven for years, on trusty Bus #28. If you recall, Friday morning dawned with a snowfall, which by all accounts started falling with more intensity and speed than anyone expected. It made for a treacherous morning commute, just at the time the school buses were hitting the Wilton roads.
Those Wilton roads, especially in North Wilton where Vinny’s route takes him, are curvy and sometimes steep, on a good day. Mix in wintry, icy conditions and they’re often downright dangerous. On his Miller-Driscoll route, Vinnie’s bus slid on the icy, snow-covered road as he turned onto Pelham Ln. from Whipstick Rd., hitting a tree head-on.
The police report obtained from the Wilton Police Department states that the accident was due to the snow conditions and slippery road surface. It also confirms that there were three passengers on the school bus–all children–and no injuries were reported. Police also reported that, “the operator stated the chains were not working.”
Shortly after the accident, posts began popping up on social media from parents wondering what happened. News spread fast that not only had no one been hurt but that Vinny had kept the kids calm until police arrived on the scene.
But then parents started relating that they’d heard Vinny had been suspended.
Quickly, parents began speaking out in defense of the much-loved driver, organizing an email campaign to support him. One parent, Clare Rainone, created an online petition on Change.org on Monday that garnered 208 signatures and dozens of supportive statements in less than 24 hours. Several parents copied GOOD Morning Wilton on letters emailed to superintendent Kevin Smith, Board of Education chairman Bruce Likly and transportation coordinator Mary Channing.
“I slid into the same intersection as Vinny within 20 minutes of his incident,” wrote Jonathan Berry, adding, “My son rides bus 28 and I would not hesitate for a second to put him on it with Vinny again.”
“Vinny safely drove my eldest daughter to school for three years, and I look forward to him driving my 4-year-old daughter to school for the next three years when she starts kindergarten this fall. Please do not let a single minor incident tarnish a life time’s work. I strongly encourage you to also consider Vinny’s punctuality, his commitment to his job, his respect for family, and most of all, his love of children,” wrote Frank Kwei.
“I can’t imagine a more caring person driving my son to and from school each day. I trust him implicitly,” wrote Debra Hoffstatter.
“I personally would trust Vinny with my children every day of the week. Beyond my personal interactions with a man who is clearly loved by the children of the community, I have had multiple occasions to be on the road driving directly behind his bus. In those scenarios, I have never seen any issue to not trust Vinny’s driving skills,” wrote John Markey.
Of course, as is human nature, there were rumors and chatter about what happened, whether a suspension was ‘protocol’ following any accident, and why a delay or school cancellation wasn’t called. But by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, the word spread quickly: Vinny’s suspension had been lifted, and he was reinstated.
(It’s worth noting that multiple sources said Vinny, like all bus drivers, is an employee of STA, the transportation company contracted by Wilton Schools, and that he is not an employee of the district. It was asserted by several people that the suspension was something the school district had nothing to do with, although other people close to the situation suggested otherwise.)
A call to Wendy Nieman, the Wilton terminal manager of STA confirmed that not only was Vinny reinstated but that he would be driving his usual route for Tuesday afternoon.
“We were so happy to see Vinny’s smiling face when the kids returned home today! He looked as happy as the kids did,” said Karen Sackowitz, a GMW writer who lives on Vinny’s route and whose children ride Vinny’s bus.
Ever humble, Vinny simply wanted to put the incident behind him, and he declined an interview. But there certainly was celebrating online, as evidenced by our post on the GOOD Morning Wilton Facebook page: comments from readers included “Great News!” “Best post of the Day!” and “It takes a village…and this one ROCKS!”
Whether Vinny’s reinstatement was due to the groundswell of community support, we’ll never know–it is a ‘personnel’ matter after all, and no one would comment officially about the situation. People close to the administration mentioned that the cascade of emails certainly made a positive impression on school leaders. Undoubtedly the sentiments about a much-loved person who has made an impact on so many Wilton families’ lives definitely had their own impact.
As for Vinny, it must be nice to know he’s got friends all over town.