Parent tells board bus routes have left her children waiting up to an hour; district pledges follow-up

Christina Novick of 14 Old Washington Crossing Road told the board during public comment that her children, who attend Stony Brook Elementary as ELL students, have experienced repeated bus delays since the beginning of the school year and that arrival times vary widely — from about 4:05 p.m. to 4:55 p.m., with some trips lasting up to an hour and 15 minutes. Novick said the unpredictability has caused anxiety for her children and that she has not received consistent communications from the district when buses are late.

"Most of the time, we do not get any communication if the bus is late," Novick said, and described instances when she watched buses pass her street without dropping off her children. She said she has documented communications back to September and requested an in-person meeting; Novick said those requests were declined.

In response, Doctor Therese acknowledged the complaint, said she had missed a prior in-person meeting because she was ill, and pledged that the business administrator and transportation staff would reach out to Novick to arrange a meeting and work toward a resolution. Therese described operational pressures, including added routes and stacking of buses caused by recent growth and midyear route changes, and acknowledged that persistent long rides are not acceptable.

The district committed to follow up with Novick and transport staff to identify route or capacity adjustments. No formal action or policy change was taken at the meeting; administrators said they will report back after meeting with the family and transportation staff.

(Reporting based solely on the board meeting transcript.)