Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and officials press Wall Township schools for faster, clearer bus communication after repeated delays
Summary
Multiple parents told the Wall Township Board of Education that morning and afternoon school buses have been arriving 30–60 minutes late and that the district must improve safety oversight and parent notifications. District officials acknowledged the problem, said they are hiring drivers and trainees, and promised better communication.
Parents pressed the Wall Township Board of Education on Oct. 14 about repeated and sometimes lengthy school-bus delays, citing safety concerns for children waiting in the dark and alleging inconsistent communication from the district and its transportation provider.
The issue came up repeatedly during the public-comment portion of the meeting, where several parents described routes arriving 30 to 60 minutes late. Leah Bibby, of Wall Township, said of one occurrence: “This is almost an hour after dismissal.” John Reno, who said he has heard from more than 20 families, said parents are using a shared Google document to track delays and warned that “parents need to know when their children are stranded at a bus stop in the dark.”
The comments included specific examples: Bibby described a bus that arrived about an hour after dismissal, and Reno cited multiple routes that had frequent AM and PM delays. Mike Zadlock and other parents also cited a past motor-vehicle accident involving a bus and said they are concerned about driver training following that crash. Zadlock said he filed a formal complaint about the driver and nevertheless saw that driver continuing to operate routes.
District officials acknowledged the timeliness and communication problems. Brian Smythe, the district’s business administrator, said the district is hiring an additional driver who was on the evening agenda and that “we have multiple drivers that are in training, so we're trying to to bring them in.” Smythe added, “I will acknowledge that the communication going out to the parents with regard to timeliness and the schedule of the buses needs to improve, and the district, will make a commitment to make sure that gets done.”
Board and district remarks stopped short of promising a specific timetable for notifications. The board indicated the district recognizes the problem is exacerbated when multiple drivers call out; Smythe said the district can be strained “anytime we're over, 5, 6, 7 absences.”
Discussion points raised by parents included (1) requests for an automated immediate text-notification system for delays, (2) concern that some routes were running very early or very late, leaving children waiting in darkness, and (3) requests for retraining or re-evaluation of drivers involved in accidents. The district’s immediate direction was to continue recruiting drivers, continue training, and commit to improving communications to families.
The board did not take a formal vote specific to transportation at the meeting; several related personnel items (including a per-diem appointment in the curriculum office) were included on a consent agenda that the board approved later in the meeting.
Provenance: The public comment examples and parent quotations are drawn from the meeting's public-comment block beginning with Leah Bibby and subsequent speakers (transcript entries beginning at the 5780-second range). The district response and commitments are drawn from Brian Smythe’s remarks later in the meeting (transcript entries in the 7327–7373 second range).
