We are all saddened and disturbed by the recent vicious attack on a young girl from Finley Middle School who was riding her school bus home.

The students directly involved in the attack should be expelled from school in order to keep the rest of our children safe. Suspension is not enough. Many children are uncomfortable and afraid to ride the school bus due to bullying. I am not surprised. This has been going on for years.

What does surprise me, however, is the recent quote by our superintendent of schools in the February 14 edition of Newsday. The superintendent states she is "deeply troubled by the increase in violence over the past decade" and goes on to say "Something that concerns me more so is that others stand by and observe it without getting involved." Good point.

Something that concerns me even more so is the lack of responsibility for this incident that the adults involved will shoulder. Surely the administration is aware of constant bullying and unacceptable behavior problems on the buses. Absolutely the bus company is. Surely the administration is aware of the bullying problems in the hallways of our school and on the playground. Absolutely our children are. If for some odd reason you are not aware, then you should perhaps speak to the parents who, week in and week out, hear all about it from their children.

I cannot help but wonder where, in our school administration, are our children to learn about personal responsibility for their actions, when the adults in charge try to pass the shame of what happened on the bus onto their shoulders. What exactly were the other children on the bus supposed to do? When is the bus company going to step forward and take responsibility for letting things get so out of hand a child ended up in the hospital? When are the adults in the school administration going to step forward and take responsibility for failing this child? Probably never. After all, lawsuits loom.

Do not try to intimate that 12-year-olds should feel responsible and shamed. Apparently they are following the example set by the adults involved. The ones who should be shamed are the attackers themselves. What the other children on the bus witnessed, besides assault, was the absolute failure of adults in charge to keep them safe. The adults are ultimately the ones who "cannot be a witness to these things." And when they step up, the children will follow.

Lisa A Morales