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Residents, students urge CFISD trustees to restore bus routes after cuts tied to safety incidents
Summary
Multiple speakers at the March 3 Cypress‑Fairbanks ISD board meeting urged trustees to restore school bus routes cut last fall, saying route changes have created dangerous crossings and led to student injuries; speakers cited at least 14 students struck by vehicles and asked trustees to reinstate late/overflow buses and crossing guards.
Multiple parents and a student told the Cypress‑Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees on March 3 that cuts to bus routes implemented last school year have made travel to school dangerous and placed students at risk.
"My backpack is 17 pounds. I am 64 pounds, carrying 26.5 of my body weight," said Charlotte Hostetler, identified in remarks as a student, describing how she must bike and carry instruments and books after the elimination of her bus route. "I really hope buses can be restored, so me and my friends in the neighborhood could travel safely to school."
Parents asked the board to reverse the route reductions and restore late buses, crossing guards and other safety measures. Jared Hostetler said the district’s changes were implemented with short notice and incomplete planning and warned of continuing safety problems: "This transportation policy was poorly developed and executed…14 kids have been struck by vehicles during the school year." Cheryl Leo, another parent, said the effects have been ‘‘devastating’’ and called for a reevaluation of routes and expedited reinstatement of buses.
Board members and staff heard the comments during the citizen participation period. Trustees and district officials acknowledged transportation as a standing concern in later board remarks and said the issue would remain on the agenda for staff committees and future updates.
The concerns raised by speakers included specific requests: reinstating late buses used for after‑school tutoring, restoring routes that had been eliminated with only 18 days’ notice before the school year began, and adding crossing guards at hazardous intersections cited by families.
Trustees, while not taking immediate action during public comment, referenced pending committee work and legislative advocacy affecting district funding. Several board members and staff said they and district personnel are continuing to press for funding and solutions that could help restore transportation services.
The board did not vote on transportation policy at the March 3 meeting; speakers were recorded as asking the district to prioritize student safety and to accelerate evaluations of hazardous routes.
