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Parents tell board repeated bus no‑shows left autistic kindergartner late and waiting in the rain
Summary
A Riverview Elementary parent told trustees that repeated morning no‑show or late buses and a lack of parent notification have caused missed instructional minutes for her autistic son; she asked the board for direct follow-up and better communication from the district’s transportation contractor.
Melissa Brooks, a Riverview Elementary parent, told the Corona‑Norco Unified School District board about a series of transportation failures affecting her kindergarten son, who is in a special‑education classroom. Brooks said morning service has been “one disappointment after another,” including buses that did not show and repeated late arrivals that caused her son to miss instruction.
Brooks said she had previously contacted Director of Transportation Leroy Welch and received no response until she elevated the issue to student‑services administrators. She described an incident when buses arrived late and staff did not notify parents; the teacher later messaged to ask whether the child had been picked up, she said. “As a parent I absolutely need to know where my child is,” Brooks said.
She also described an afternoon dismissal problem: special‑education kindergarten dismisses 15 minutes before general‑education dismissal, and Brooks said her son’s bus was present but drivers were not allowed to load until after general‑education students, forcing her son to wait outside in inclement weather for 20–30 minutes. She said the delays create safety and behavioral distress for her child and that, to her knowledge, no general‑education students are on the same route.
Nathan Brooks, who followed his wife’s remarks, pressed the board on a communication breakdown and urged trustees to convene district staff and the transportation contractor to find a solution. He described the time and work parents expend to raise the issue at a board meeting when earlier-level communications did not resolve the problem.
District staff present did not offer a detailed remediation timeline during public comment, but the board indicated staff would follow up; Melissa Brooks said she expects district contacts to reach out to her to set a meeting.
Why it matters: The comments raise safety and equity concerns for students with disabilities who rely on contracted transportation and underscore gaps in parent notification and operational oversight.
What’s next: Brooks asked staff to contact her for a follow-up meeting; board members asked staff to provide schedules and outreach on summer projects in other parts of the meeting, and transportation staff were referenced as responsible for follow-up.
