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Hammond board adopts elementary transportation plan after parents say promised buses never arrived
Summary
After public commenters described students left waiting and dangerous walking routes, interim Superintendent Dr. Brent Wilson asked the board to approve an elementary transportation memorandum targeting hazard zones; the board adopted the plan but community members and educators urged clearer routes, funding detail and more transparency.
The School City of Hammond board voted Jan. 7 to adopt an elementary transportation memorandum that Superintendent Dr. Brent Wilson described as a first-step plan to target hazard zones and expand buses as funding permits.
"What I'm doing is I'm asking for your approval to implement the elementary transportation plan as outlined in the memorandum from Ed Peterson," Dr. Wilson told trustees, adding that the district's long-term goal is to "get that walking zone down to a mile." He said limited funding means the plan will start small and expand as more resources become available.
Public commenters told the board the plan as presented lacks clarity and leaves many students without service. "If they already have a route and the bus had been approved, why can't those kids get it?" Wanda Puckett said, recounting two mornings when buses did not arrive and children were left standing in icy conditions. Another resident warned that students must cross high-traffic corridors such as Kennedy Avenue and that some walkers face hazardous conditions.
Several speakers also criticized what they described as a lack of transparency: one commenter said the transportation item appeared and disappeared from the agenda and that the posted memorandum did not include the plan or cost details. "If you want the public to understand what's going on, this is not the way to start the new year," one attendee said.
After brief discussion, a motion to adopt the memorandum passed by voice vote. Trustees and the superintendent said staff would continue to identify hazard zones and look for additional cost-saving measures before expanding routes.
Next steps the board discussed include posting clearer route information and cost estimates on the district website and coordinating closely with the transportation director to begin phased pickups in targeted areas.
