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Parents, students and superintendent press for clearer bus protocols after snow-squall delays
Summary
Parents and student representatives described chaotic bus delays during a rapid snow squall; Superintendent Dr. Brown defended the district's decision process but acknowledged failures and said policies and communications will be reviewed.
Victoria Craft Luxe, a parent of two Caroline Elementary students, told the Ithaca City School District Board of Education on Jan. 28 that a predicted snow squall left families and bus drivers scrambling and poorly informed.
“The National Weather Service issued a whole series of snow squall warnings for Tompkins County,” Victoria Craft Luxe said, and buses that had already started routes paused at about 7:20 a.m., leaving some students waiting at stops in blowing snow or on buses pulled over for long periods.
Student representatives also reported inconsistent and delayed notifications. A student speaker described peers standing at bus stops 30 minutes or longer in the cold and said the district’s messages “were inconsistent and non specific,” adding that some students were not directly notified when buses were late.
Superintendent Dr. Brown outlined the district’s decision process for weather-related closures and delays, saying staff consults the Department of Public Works, law enforcement, the National Weather Service and bus drivers before making announcements. He said the district operates 64 routes and more than 88 buses daily and that decisions are especially difficult if severe weather arrives between roughly 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., when routes are already underway.
“We carry the weight of traveling millions of miles with 64 routes and 88 plus buses every day,” Dr. Brown said. He acknowledged the outcome of the morning’s decisions: “I was wrong today,” he told the board, and said he and transportation staff will review procedures and communication practices to prevent students from waiting “indefinitely” in bad weather.
Board members thanked drivers and facilities staff and said the district will follow up on several communication questions raised by speakers, including whether students can receive text alerts directly and how to provide clearer information on bus locations after service resumes.
The district did not announce a change in policy at the meeting but multiple board members said the topic will be revisited in committee and with staff as part of ongoing transportation and safety planning.
The board meeting also included public comment urging district attention to potential federal enforcement actions at schools; the superintendent said legal counsel and state guidance are being reviewed and the district will provide updates when appropriate.
A community member’s account, student reports, and the superintendent’s detailed description of the district’s weather-decision process were the meeting’s primary evidentiary elements on transportation and communications.
Looking ahead, board members asked staff to report back on (1) whether and how the district can send delay notices directly to students as well as caregivers; (2) options to improve transparency about bus locations when service resumes; and (3) whether policy language on emergency delays should be revised to incorporate snow-squall timing and thresholds.
