Berlin Bus Route Changes Draw Parents’ Ire
By Doug La Rocque
Several parents attended the Berlin School Board meeting Tuesday, September 18, to question changes made in bus routes, that they claimed were creating excessively long ride times for the children, and indicated some of these changes may even be endangering their children’s safety.
School Superintendent Dr. Stephen Young told those in attendance and members of the school board, they eliminated two smaller buses that were being used, and condensed some other runs with an eye toward efficiency, but this has created extended runs, with some elementary school children not getting off their bus to as late as 4:50 pm. Parents claimed that since the Elementary School dismisses at 3:15, it meant their child was spending up to an hour and a half on a bus. During the questioning of the Superintendent, it came to light that some buses do not pick up children at the school until as late as 3:45 pm, because that is when they finish with the high school bus routes.
The elimination of the two bus routes that used smaller vehicles also came into question. These buses somewhat paralleled runs with a large bus, but often on much smaller, unpaved town roads. Parents stated that the conditions of these roads during the winter, make it unsafe and unfeasible for a much larger vehicle, and felt the district might be putting their children at risk. The Eastwick Press asked Dr. Young and the members of the board in attendance, there were only four out of the seven members, if these safety concerns were taken into consideration before the changes were made, or if the Highway Superintendents in the towns impacted where consulted about the wisdom of placing a large bus on these roads, and was told, no.
The Firing of a Bus Driver was Poorly Handled
This is not an editorial comment, but an admission by Dr. Young, when asked by the parent of a child, if he and another member of the school’s administration told a driver her employment was terminated while on the bus, just prior to it’s departure, and in front of the children on the bus. He was also asked, if he then told that driver to transport the children home, immediately after being dismissed. Mr. Young said he did permit the driver to finish her route, and added it was indeed a debacle.
The school district cannot comment about the reasons for the driver’s dismissal, but she told The Eastwick Press, she was dismissed for cell phone use. She claims she was simply using it to check the time to judge the progress of her route, and never used it for conversation or to text. She stated she needed the phone to determine the time of day, because the clock on the bus was inoperative. Again, as to the actual circumstances that lead to her dismissal, the district is constrained by law from comment.
We Will Aggressively Look Into This
Board President Frank Zwack stated that a new Transportation Supervisor would start employment on Monday, September 24, and would be tasked with looking into all the route changes, and then forward a recommendation, as to what might need to be changed or adjusted. He also thanked all the speakers for the concerns and comments, and promised the board will be aggressively looking into the entire matter.
Because of space constraints in this week’s edition, the report on the rest of the board meeting will appear next week.