This is an open letter to the MRDD bus driver who was on Thomas Hollow Road on Sept. 14 around 4 p.m. We don't know your name, but we want to tell you how much your actions are appreciated by the parents of the three boys, who are all 13 years old and in Valley Middle School, that you let go on the bus to evade an unprovoked attack by an older boy. He was shooting at them with a paintball gun with frozen paintballs, for taking a shortcut home from football practice through his yard.

After the boys ran away as fast as they could, he jumped in his car and chased them, stopping twice to shoot at them some more. He hit one boy in the eye with a frozen paintball, doing serious damage to his eye, and this was after the boys had left the yard. The boys stopped the MRDD bus and got on. When they showed the driver the injured boy's eye, she called 911 and asked for the police and a squad. Even though it would put her behind schedule, she stayed with the boys, so that the older boy who was now stopped behind the bus, could not continue his attack. He didn't leave until he saw her with a phone, realizing she had called for help.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to this courageous woman for protecting our children, and we want to thank her again for being so considerate and compassionate. Thank you. You are our hero.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ehrler

Lucasville

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