Parents and residents raise alarm over bus route cancellations as district navigates driver shortages

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Margaret Mahoney urged the Baldwin‑Whitehall School District Board of School Directors to address recurring bus route cancellations and double‑run schedules that have affected student attendance and instructional time.

“While I understand that busing shortages are affecting districts throughout our Commonwealth, I have not heard of another district canceling routes for public school students,” Mahoney said, describing recent cancellations and double runs that caused students to miss instruction or arrive late. She told the board that the district's geographic layout makes family reliance on bus transportation high and that, if reliable busing cannot be assured, some families may reconsider living in the district.

Mahoney thanked transportation staff for their work under difficult conditions but urged the board for a long‑term solution beyond stopgap double runs. She said asynchronous online work and parent‑led improvisations are not equivalent to in‑person instruction and that absences and tardiness force teachers to reteach content, affecting classroom pacing.

The superintendent and transportation staff previously recognized a bus driver at the meeting for an incident in which a driver protected a student at a stop; earlier discussion acknowledged ongoing staffing challenges but did not include a new district‑level service change or timetable in the public transcript. Board members and staff said they have been working on the issue and the district has engaged with state representatives and broader associations to seek legislative and operational remedies.

No immediate policy vote or new operational plan was recorded in the public portion of the meeting; commenters requested that the board view route reliability as essential to delivering the district’s educational program and asked for concrete steps to reduce future cancellations.