Boy banned from taking saxophone on school bus

A Raynham 12-year-old boy has been banned from taking his saxophone on the school bus. Andrew DiMarzio loves to play his tenor sax at home and at school, but the bus company said the case for his saxophone is a safety hazard aboard a crowded school bus. His mother insisted it can easily fit under the bus seat, and is no bigger than many back packs or over-sized athletic bags that other students carry.

The dispute comes as the school district is trying to rebuild the music program after years of budget cuts. Cathy DiMarzio wonders how that can be done if kids are not allowed to bring their instruments back and forth on the buses. "He was so discouraged. He wanted to give it up and that's a crime," she said. She said her work schedule doesn’t allow her to drive Andrew and his saxophone to school in the morning or to pick them up in the afternoon.



"They are making it difficult because I work. I work full time. Do I have to quit my job or does he have to quit band?" she said. The superintendent of schools was quoted as saying, “The school district always has to put the safety of the students first.” I am not against the arts or anything like that, but safety comes first,” said Bill Lucini, the owner of Lucini Bus Lines. “If there is an empty seat next to him, no problem. If there is room on the bus, we allow it. But usually the bus that Andrew rides is filled to capacity.”

Cathy DiMarzio said the school district refunded $225 she paid for him to ride the bus, but that’s not the solution she was looking for. The bus company owner said he is not being a Grinch. "That bus is filled to capacity, OK, it becomes a safety issue at that point," said Bill Lucini, of Lucini Bus Co. "(The sax) has to fit and come out with ease. It's nothing that, you know, that can hold up the exit of that bus." Andrew's middle school bus is the only one so packed that there no extra room for musical instruments.

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