Parents of children who ride Bus 104 told the Timberlane Regional School District Board of Education that repeated route “backups” have caused last-minute schedule changes, overcrowding and safety concerns.

“Our bus is often backed up, which means it gets absorbed into another route, and that changes pick up or drop off times with little notice,” parent Risha Kinsak Singh told the board during public comment. She added that the bus has been overcrowded “sometimes 3 kids to a seat” and said a kindergartner was bullied during a recent backup; the school is investigating.

The parents said the problem is not new: Bus 104 has been the first bus pulled when shortages occur, they said, creating recurring disruptions. They asked the district to prioritize “a stable, proactive solution for Bus 104” and to retain a regular driver who has built relationships with families.

District staff and the carrier First Student described the staffing situation at the meeting and outlined steps underway. A district staff member said First Student is contracted to provide 28 drivers in the district, has lost six since June and has been able to reassign three drivers from other regions. The staff member said the district is down three routes overall at present.

Justin (staff member) told the board that First Student has 18 recent applicants for driver positions; two of those applicants are three weeks away from completing their commercial driver’s license (CDL) process. He said First Student will bring a driver from Rhode Island who will start Monday and be assigned to Plaustow, the town most affected. “I do not expect further bus backups on 104 beginning on Monday,” Justin said.

Board members and parents discussed interim measures that might reduce safety risks when buses are overloaded, including assigning a monitor during known backup periods. Board member Jack suggested considering paid alternates to reduce gaps at the start of the year; another board member floated the idea of assigning an administrator or other staff temporarily as a monitor.

The board asked administration to provide an update at a future meeting. Justin agreed to bring a status update to the next school board meeting.

Why it matters: Families said repeated last-minute route changes have stressed working parents, affected childcare arrangements and created safety and behavior-management concerns on buses. The district and its contractor described concrete steps — additional hires, transfers and a forthcoming driver — but parents asked the board to prioritize retaining trusted drivers and ensuring consistent schedules while longer-term fixes are developed.

Provenance: The parent remarks introducing the topic appear in the public comment segment beginning with the speaker identifying herself as Risha Kinsak Singh and describing Bus 104; the district response and the promise that a new driver would start on Monday occur in subsequent staff remarks. Evidence excerpts: "I'm Risha Kinsak Singh... share concerns we have about bus 1 0 4..." (transcript block s=2025.325,e=2047.465) and "First Student is also going to bring a driver... They're gonna start Monday... I do not expect further bus backups on 104 beginning on Monday." (transcript block s=2508.03,e=2522.1301 and s=2545.4402,e=2546.48).