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Students urge green‑schools policy; alumnus asks board to pay bus drivers for flexible instruction days
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Summary
Two students urged the board to adopt energy-conservation and environmental-education policies and fund green initiatives; a North Allegheny alumnus urged the board to reconsider unpaid flexible instruction days for bus drivers, saying drivers are paid only if a personal day is used.
At the April 15 meeting, two students from North Allegheny High School urged the board to adopt stronger environmental policies and curricula. "Green schools are like trees. The best time to plant them was 15 years ago, but the second best time is today," one speaker said, asking the board to adopt an energy conservation policy, expand environmental education, and allocate funds for pilot innovations such as rain barrels and battery recycling.
The students urged the district to review operations—limiting bus idling time, improving recycling systems and prioritizing environmentally friendly building materials during renovations—and proposed curriculum additions so younger students learn environmental stewardship.
In a second public comment, alumnus Brian Ludwig raised transportation staff concerns. He said flexible instruction days (FIDs) are treated like unpaid snow days for bus drivers despite school being "in session" for students. "Bus drivers appear to be the only group in the district not being paid on these days," Ludwig said, asking the board to review the contract language and consider paying drivers for FIDs to improve recruitment and retention.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and noted the transportation and student health committees as relevant forums for continued discussion; no immediate policy change was made at the meeting.
