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Parents press board for real-time bus tracking; residents urge reopening high school courts
Summary
Public commenters urged the Montgomery Township Board to reopen high school outdoor courts and to adopt a real-time bus-tracking system after multiple student pickups were delayed. The superintendent said the district is reviewing agreements with the township for court access and will evaluate bus-tracking vendors with transportation staff.
Two public-comment items attracted attention at the meeting: requests to restore community access to high school outdoor courts and a separate appeal for districtwide real-time school-bus tracking.
Steve Hart, identified himself as a resident, urged the board to complete negotiations with the township so the high school courts are available to the public in spring. "I assume that the process is still going up Township is still negotiating with the board," Hart said; he encouraged completing the agreement while outdoor play is limited by winter weather.
A second set of public comments, from a parent who identified himself as Shailesh of 297 Sunset Road and his 7th-grade son, asked the district to implement a real-time bus-tracking system. Shailesh said his older child waited in near-freezing temperatures because of a substitute-driver delay and said a tracking system would help parents know arrival times and avoid unnecessary exposure to weather. His son described long walks to bus stops and said classmates sometimes have to wait 11—12 minutes in cold weather.
Superintendent Blackall told the board the district has drafted an agreement related to the courts and is awaiting the township's response. On the tracking request, Blackall said she would gather vendor information for the board and transportation coordinator to review; she named examples heard in the meeting such as "Safe Fleet" and "Here Comes The Bus."
Why it matters: Real-time bus tracking affects student safety and parent awareness of delays; outdoor-court access involves community recreation and any township-level lease or user agreement. The superintendent said staff would follow up with vendors and the township.
