Parent tells Beloit board: dozens of bus windows won't close; questions district decision to return nearly $9 million in EPA funds

A Beloit parent raised concerns at the Nov. 18 board meeting about the safety and temperature control of school buses and questioned district choices around federal funds for electrification and upgrades.

"I am writing with serious concerns about the safety of the school buses the children in our district are riding," Dr. Bridal Keyes told the board during public comment, describing a Nov. 8 trip in which she counted at least 13 windows that would not close and said the bus remained drafty in near-freezing temperatures.

She said she was "absolutely shocked to learn the district accepted the funds and then decided to return them, leaving our children ... with old diesel buses whose windows do not close." She said the funds were nearly $9,000,000 from the EPA intended to upgrade at least half the fleet and asked the board for follow-up and a chance for trustees and administrators to ride district buses during winter trips.

Board members did not provide a full on-record rebuttal during the public-comment segment; the commenter offered to forward photos and asked for a prompt follow-up call with the interim superintendent and board leadership. The district did not announce a response on the record in that segment.

The parent also said local and statewide peer organizations involved in school bus electrification were surprised that the district returned the funds, and asked the board to explain the decision-making process around accepting and then returning grant dollars.

The board acknowledged the comment and the speaker's request for follow-up. Trustees and staff will need to confirm the details of the funding decision and provide the community with documentation of current fleet condition and the district's reasoning for returning the EPA funds.