Parent warns Lebanon schools of long, potentially unsafe bus routes; district pledges review

Erin Loci, a Lebanon resident, told the Lebanon City Schools Board of Education on Aug. 18 that her daughter has repeatedly been kept on her school bus until after 5 p.m. because of routing decisions the parent called “alarming” and lacking human oversight. Loci asked the board to review a specific route she obtained through a public-records request and to explain why her daughter could not be dropped off when the bus was 0.4 miles from their street at 4:25 p.m.

The board matters because prolonged rides and unsafe stops raise student-safety concerns during the school year’s opening days. Loci described multiple problems: apparent inconsistencies with a reported rule that “our buses only make right side drop offs,” at least three left-side drop-offs on the route she reviewed and a stretch of Liberty Keuter Road she described as “very dangerous,” where cars travel at about 60 miles per hour downhill.

Loci said she has raised the issue repeatedly with transportation staff, including an August 6 email to Mrs. Robertson and a follow-up to Superintendent Michael Sievers on Aug. 8, and that she only received a rapid reply after copying a board member on Aug. 13. She said her child, aged 6 and 7 in prior years, was “consistently getting off the bus at 5 p.m. or after,” requiring calls to the bus garage at 5:20–5:30 p.m. The parent noted a prior successful appeal of a stop two years earlier and asked why that safety decision was not preserved when her child changed schools.

Superintendent Michael Sievers acknowledged the route issues and said the district follows safety criteria from the Ohio Administrative Code that disallow left-side loading where a stop is deemed unsafe because of factors such as hills, oncoming speed and sight distance. Sievers apologized for an earlier, inaccurate email statement that implied the district “doesn't” ever load/unload on the left side, and said the transportation team determines whether a particular stop is unsafe. Sievers told the board he would discuss the route with Mrs. Robertson and “get back to you tomorrow.” Board President Miss Irvin said the district would look into Loci’s route.

Board members and staff also discussed wider operational pressures in transportation. The board’s transportation update noted 10 retirements or resignations in the department over the summer and continued difficulty hiring bus drivers. Staff described using long-term substitute drivers and reconfiguring routes to maintain service where driver supply is limited.

No motion or formal action was taken on Aug. 18. The board directed staff to review the specific route Loci provided and report back; Loci requested a district audit of other routes she said may have similar problems.

District officials did not provide a numerical count of all students affected districtwide; Loci described the impacts as occurring on her daughter’s route and urged the board to “take a drive” and audit routing and safety choices.