That is why I never use charter buses. The bus takes you, drops you off, then leaves. They return later to take you home.

Sometimes they don't come back, though. Sometimes you get a driver who has to stop in the middle of your trip and wait to be relieved by another driver who may not come for an hour. And often they are not available the day you need them.

School buses takes you, stay there, then take you home even if you are running late or early.

Sounds like somebody really dropped the ball. That someone should be flogged.

Yeah, bummer.  But these things happen, especially when trying to organize a trip for hundreds of kids.  Could have been worse, they could have been stranded AT Disneyland.

My Granddaughter was caught up in this debacle and did not get to go.  She does not want to go this Thursday for the same reason as Jacqueline. All her friends went on the first bus.  My son (her uncle) gave her two tickets to Disney Land for graduation so she and a friend can go when they please. This was poor planning on the school's part.  I'm sure in such an emergency they could have got school buses.

Well I guess my question is.................why do they have to have a grad night at Disneyland? Why can't they have a grad night right here in Bakersfield, like we did?  The Junior class would have fundraisers all year long to put together the money needed to put on the party for the graduating seniors. FACULTY and PARENTS supervised the all nighter.  We had a blast and it was only our seniors not seniors from every school in Calif!!

My daughter went to grad night at Disneyland and she hated it.

It's seniors from schools across the west coast, Hawaii, and Canada.

That not a bad idea WP. I guess the rationale is "the bigger the better". It should just be about the seniors spending time with their peers for at least one more time.

JF: I also think it is about (possibly) faculty & parents not wanting to spend the night supervising. In Pleasonton, Calif., my nieces & nephew's HS had an all nighter at the school. Kids brought their pillows, and sleeping bags. THE PARENTS of the Seniors all chipped in and got games, food, prizes, a photo booth, music and decorations - each year was a different theme. They still do this, they have never had a problem and parents of the seniors can drop by anytime during the night they want to. They get a dinner, snacks & breakfast - all prepared by the PARENTS!

I think it's more of parents wanting the "best" for their child. Surely, they could find someone to supervise it.

If someone outside faculty & parents supervised, they would probably have to pay them(except me!).  I, personally, think it would be a hoot!!!  I know the parents at the HS in Pleasonton have a ball!  I was visiting my sister for one of them and we helped decorate! I love stuff like that! and the kids like it, they are all in one place, all together, possibly for the last time, and nobody "sits on them" they can pretty much do what they want to and plenty is provided for them to do!

I always liked the senior carnival they had at the end of "Grease."

And we could all fly away in leather pants, letter sweaters and convertibles! I went to high school in Michigan and we had senior skip day where everyone pretty much went to an amusement park called Cedar Point in Ohio. We drove ourselves.

TG:  don't forget the pom-poms & cheer ladders!!!!! LOL Seems there are a lot of options out there besides paying $115.00 to go to Disneyland!!!  AND could possibly end up being free for the seniors!

I think the notion is that Disneyland is more appealing.  The purpose of Grad Night is to keep the seniors from what they would usually be doing after graduation (throwing a party and getting horribly drunk).  Disneyland has these events every year where students across southern California spend the entire night in an environment where they cannot get alcohol.  The notion of doing it in town may have the same consequences that having a dance after a football game has.  The students will opt-out to go to a party.  Money is always an issue though.

This is probably also a very sad statement about our society.  I am sorry that some grads got to go, and most didn't, and the person booking the charter service should have been more thorough.  However, we as a society should be very concerned that we ACCEPT or even BELIEVE that the seniors would USUALLY be "throwing a party and getting horribly drunk".   Is it possible that we so quickly believe this about our kids, because in our struggle to become politically correct and "not offend ANYONE" we have failed to teach our kids right and wrong, good and evil, acceptable and unacceptable behaviors?  

I am NOT in favor of totally banning alcohol (before any of you jump under THAT bus...), but expecting and even demanding proper and  acceptable behavior from society (especially our graduates) should be the norm, not that our children that we have invested our lives in for the past 17-18 years would be throwing a party and getting horribly drunk.

 Jermox>The purpose of Grad Night is to keep the seniors from what they would usually be doing after graduation (throwing a party and getting horribly drunk).