A number of parents in the township school district raised concerns about bus transportation and communication during the board of education meeting on Sept. 17, while also acknowledging the situation has eased.
The complaints alleged that parents and drivers have been issued different times for pickups. Safety concerns at certain bus stops and a general lack of preparation were also cited, with parents saying information on those topics reaches them too late.
“We’ve had an incredibly tumultuous start to this school year,” resident Stevie Neal said at the meeting. “We had a summer of preparation that I felt like a lot of us were not involved in any kind of communication. The two things that are very basic – getting kids to school and their safety – have already been in question in the last couple of weeks …
“That there is an indication of some falling apart on the leadership end.”
The issues parents described came after the district had to draft a new transportation plan just a few weeks before the start of school; the previous plan saw fierce backlash in August.
The complaints also follow implentation of a new policy: All pre-K students attend Central Early Childhood Center, and all kindergarteners attend Pine Acres Early Childhood Center, regardless of proximity to the school. The policy was first introduced to parents in March.
“The one thing that I asked you (the board) to take care of was the busing,” asserted resident Josh Bowers. “We have a 5-year-old and we had a lot of concerns about the possibility of putting him on a bus that could take an hour to get to school.
“I think we’re very disappointed, very stressed out, the last couple weeks as we’re getting ready in starting school,” he added, “and I’m especially disappointed since we flagged this as a thing likely to be a problem six months ago.”
As some parents at the meeting noted bus transportation and communication with the district had improved, they offered solutions that included an open discussion on potential transportation routes. School Superintendent Kevin Kanauss further elaborated on the subject in a report he gave at the meeting.
“The administration and I are aware of some of the remaining concerns with transportation for our students,” he noted. “We’re still working to resolve them all. If there’s any thought out there, in the community, that we’re done addressing these, please note that is a major miscalculation.”
The next board of education meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
