Residents demand Poway Unified stop bus 'shortcuts' after fatal March collision

Poway Unified School District heard hours of public comment at its April 23 board meeting from family members and residents who said a school bus that struck and later killed neighbor Rene (Rene) Steiner on March 10 was avoidable and stemmed from routings that send large buses through narrow residential streets.

Renee Steiner's relatives and neighbors described the March crash in personal terms and called for immediate operational changes. "This was 100% preventable," said Renee's niece, Renee Steiner Fernano. She told the board her uncle was legally crossing the street while walking his two dogs when he was struck. Neighbors said buses routinely use the neighborhood as a shortcut after dropping students off at Mount Carmel High School, picking routes that send heavy buses up and down steep, narrow streets where residents said buses frequently exceed posted limits.

Gilbert Peek, a resident who provided maps to staff, described the typical path buses take through his neighborhood and said drivers often pick up speed on downhill stretches before reaching the street where the collision occurred. "Those buses pick up speed. They definitely exceed the 25 mph speed limit," Peek told the board.

Speakers raised questions about route planning, driver oversight and communication. "What training do your drivers receive? What oversight is in place?" asked Laura Steiner Groller, another relative who attended and spoke to the board about the loss. Families and neighbors also urged the district to inform parents and the community about the incident and about steps the district will take to prevent another tragedy.

The board and district staff responded in the meeting's public session. Superintendent Dr. Churchill offered condolences to the Steiner family and said the district had taken immediate steps: the employee involved was placed on administrative leave; bus routes have been reviewed and adjusted where possible to reduce travel on Simabella and nearby neighborhood streets; and the district has provided in-service safety training for transportation staff. He noted that some special-education buses will continue to pick up students at home where required by individual needs.

"We're going to take the comments that we've heard tonight, go back, work with our staff so that we can continue this evaluation," Dr. Churchill said, adding the district aims to strengthen systems and safety for the 1,800 students it transports daily.

Neighbors urged specific remedies including rerouting buses to arterial roads (for example, using Black Mountain Road instead of turning into the neighborhood), instituting speed-monitoring and targeted safety deployments on the hill segments used as shortcuts, and offering clearer communication to parents about driver schedules and route changes. Some called for a mandatory review of whether drivers remain on consistent routes so they become familiar with local hazards.

The speakers' accounts at the board meeting were emotional and often technical: they described particular street segments, timings of drop-offs, and near-misses that residents have experienced. Several asked for immediate, concrete actions rather than study alone. The board did not take a formal vote on new routing rules that night but the superintendent's comments indicated the district has already adjusted some routes and launched a procedural review.

What happens next: the superintendent pledged continued internal review and follow-up with staff. Residents pressed the board to publish timelines and to return with specific proposals for route restrictions or safety deployments. The family and neighbors said they will continue to seek accountability and have made clear they expect visible and sustained changes to bus operations in affected neighborhoods.