The word is that the Kalamazoo bus driver who was beaten by a student last week is calling for school drivers to be allowed to carry Mace or pepper spray.

I telephoned the 37-year-old driver to see if that's true and she said it was her husband who mentioned that idea to school officials. There is no formal proposal. She said she's not exactly sure what should be done to better protect drivers.

I mentioned the Mace idea to some school officials, who said that one major problem is that it could be grabbed by a student and used on a driver. And, of course, if you put the spray out of reach of students, it's not going to be easily accessible when a driver would need it.

Another option, which has been mentioned by many online commenters, is putting an aide on the bus run, which serves kids at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home and Valley Center, a countywide school for emotionally disturbed kids. The reason that hasn't been done in the past is money, although the institutions involved -- Kalamazoo Public Schools, which operates the bus run; Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, which runs Valley Center, and Kalamazoo County, which operates the Juvenile Home -- no doubt are exploring some ideas in the wake of the beating.

Incidentally, for those who were wondering about the specifics of this bus run, it served only students at the Juvenile Home and Valley Center, not regular KPS students. Also, I told this bus run serves far fewer students than a typical bus run because these are atypical teens.