Student Transportation of Vermont told the Barre Unified Union School District #97 Board of School Directors on April 16, 2025, that two electric school buses stationed at Barre Town School were removed from district property as a safety precaution and that the vehicles were not taxpayer funded.

Board member Joanne read a letter dated April 11 from Stacy A. Emerson, regional manager for Student Transportation of America in Vermont and New Hampshire. The letter said the two electric buses were purchased using Vermont’s share of the 2019 Volkswagen settlement and had been operating in the district since their arrival in 2020. The letter said Student Transportation of Vermont temporarily removed the two vehicles from service in January 2025 after reported Lion Electric bus fires in North America and, after discussions with the company and its insurer, the district requested removal from district property. The letter stated the removal “had no adverse effect on operations, routes, or costs associated with the BUUSD students' transportation.”

Stacy Emerson addressed the board by phone and reiterated that the buses were owned and operated by the contracted transportation provider, not by the district. Emerson said safety is the company’s top priority and urged caution about inaccurate information on social media. She told the board that Lion Electric Company had filed for bankruptcy and “eliminated most staff and communications,” leaving Student Transportation without the information it had sought from the manufacturer about the reported fires.

Joanne Canning said the district would place the company’s letter on the district website and asked community members with questions to contact the superintendent’s office.

The public-comment item was informational; no board action was recorded on the buses during the meeting.