How sad it is to read Saturday’s article about a West High School bus proctor trying to do her job. I bet she wasn’t given a choice in the matter.

Why were the two bus drivers for the Mountain House route ordered to give assigned seats to students? Probably because those not-so-innocent students refused to behave on their bus. It was parents who first were upset and then the students got upset. Instead of parents trying to set an example for their children and help with a solution, they caused a free-for-all and then blamed it on the proctor, who was just following orders from school district supervisors.

The proctor is not a tyrant. She probably greeted each student with a smile. That is her style, and she is known for her helpful personality. Her former students love her. She is good with hard-to-handle kids. I would trust her with my own kids.

Students and parents from that bus were just angry that rules had to be followed, and obviously they don’t want any rules. These big buses can hold up to 84 students at a time, and there should be strict order for the ride to be safe for everyone.

Are parents angry because their children are not comfortable and can’t have cell phones out on the buses? I can’t imagine being a bus driver and having the responsibility dealing with more than 80 children, let alone 80 cell phones ringing. How are drivers supposed to get all the kids to school safely with all of that going on? I agree with the policy that cell phones can’t be used.

Those kids and parents from Mountain House should be thankful they have a Tracy school bus. Instead, they misbehave. When I was a kid, we walked a good distance to school. We would have loved to have a bus, comfortable or not, That’s an idea: Mountain House students can walk. Let them see that life isn’t always comfortable!

It takes a special person to be a bus driver and a proctor, and they deserve our thanks. Instead, the article was a disservice to them and put them through an ordeal by giving the impression that Tracy school bus employees are tyrants. Shame on you.

• Cathy Hill is a Tracy mother with children who have ridden Tracy school buses.