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Students, parents urge board to remove district buses from Western Middle School; staff say parking search continues
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Summary
Students and parents told the Greenwich Board of Education that district buses parked at Western Middle School are creating safety, congestion and learning disruptions. Transportation staff updated the board on the search for a permanent lot and said a DOT request to park under I‑95 was denied.
Henry Mateo Tejada, a seventh‑grade student at Western Middle School, told the Board of Education the buses parked at his school have made drop‑off and pick‑up unsafe, disrupted instruction with frequent reversing beeps and left the adjacent field rutted and unusable.
“My evidence proves that the students inhaling exhaust can prove to have major health risks,” Henry said during public comment, describing an informal survey he performed about students losing focus when buses beep during class.
Grace Natali, co‑president of the WMS PTA, urged the board to find a permanent off‑school lot for district buses, to temporarily move buses during SBA and NWEA testing, and to arrange for bus removal during eighth‑grade promotion. “We extended grace and have been incredibly, almost relentlessly patient,” she said, asking the board to act after eight months of temporary parking.
District transportation staff briefed the board later in the meeting on efforts to secure a controlled GPS‑owned site for parking. Staff described pursuing a flat site under I‑95 at 33/10 River Road but said the Connecticut Department of Transportation denied that request in June citing Federal Highway Authority guidance.
“We thought this was a perfect spot,” the transportation presenter said, noting municipal and private examples elsewhere in Connecticut and nationally where under‑interstate space is used for parking. He added the district has searched more than 45 properties and continues to work with town and state officials to seek clear criteria or reconsideration.
Board members acknowledged the disruption described by students and parents and said administration is actively searching for alternatives. Several members said the logistics are complex and involve contract timing, parking availability and cost, and urged continued outreach to the state and local partners.
Next steps: staff will continue property outreach, report further options to the board and coordinate short‑term accommodations (for testing and promotion) as requested by Western Middle School leadership.
