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Parent says contracted bus company left middle school volleyball team waiting; requests district explanation
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Summary
A parent told the North Hills board on April 23 that a contracted bus failed to pick up a middle school boys volleyball team at the scheduled 6:00 PM pickup on April 21, arriving about 7:45 PM and returning students to North Hills Middle School about 8:55 PM; she asked the district for a fuller written explanation and greater driver accountability.
During public comment at the April 23 meeting, resident Tori Veil Valbreich recounted an April 21 incident in which the contracted busing company assigned to North Hills failed to pick up the middle school boys volleyball team at the scheduled 6:00 PM pickup from Penn Middle School. Valbreich said the bus did not arrive until about 7:45 PM, leaving 12- and 13-year-old students waiting without access to phones or concessions and returning them to North Hills Middle School about 8:55 PM.
Valbreich described the episode as stressful, especially coming on the same day as the PSSA testing disruptions. She said the district’s initial explanation, shared via the SportsU app by Mr. Weber, blamed a driver mistake and that some students dismissed the explanation as inaccurate. Valbreich called the description she heard from the district “defensive” and said parents were told varying accounts — including that the driver went to the wrong school and that the dispatcher could not reach the driver.
She urged the district and the bus company to hold drivers accountable and suggested publishing a list of competing districts whose events require drivers to wait after a game so drivers have clear instructions. Valbreich requested a more detailed email explanation from the district about why students were picked up an hour and 45 minutes after the scheduled time.
Provenance: Public comment by Tori Veil Valbreich, SEG 785–SEG 889.
