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Parents press Prince William County school board on scheduling, transportation safety and special-education concerns
Summary
Six citizens spoke during public comment, urging reconsideration of new teacher hours citing daycare/commute logistics, reporting an alleged bus driver physical incident and seeking removal pending investigation, describing denied administrative meetings and coach retaliation, and alleging systemic violations of special-education law; board members acknowledged the concerns but took no immediate formal action in the meeting.
During the public-comment segment of the Prince William County School Board meeting on May 6, six speakers told the board about staffing, safety, and special-education problems and asked for follow-up.
Blake Herra said changes to school start hours released for the coming year ‘‘are not the most logistically sound addition’’ and will harm many high-school teachers who rely on daycare schedules and face long commutes. He told the board he compiled a chart showing how published hours affect teachers across districts and said vacancies rose after the hours were announced.
Rena Stap used Teacher Appreciation Week to urge respect for teachers and to discourage using teachers’ pay as a bargaining chip amid proposed county funding cuts.
Several speakers described safety and access concerns. Samon Kasmi said her nine-year-old daughter was grabbed by the shoulders by a bus driver and that Transportation and Child Protective Services initially found protocol violations; she said she has been ‘‘ghosted’’ by transportation staff and asked that the driver be removed from routes pending the COO’s investigation. "The bus driver is now back on duty," Kasmi said, and she asked the board to "bring it to light" and to provide accountability.
Troy Harris said he had been denied an in-person meeting with school administration about his son and alleged the Osbourn Park boys basketball coach was retaliating against his child, describing a pattern of exclusion and asking the board to hear him directly.
Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, who identified herself as a parent, accused the district of systemic violations of special-education law (IDEA and the ADA), described being offered a settlement with a nondisclosure agreement, and said she has advised families to seek legal counsel; she named a law firm accepting cases against the district.
Board members acknowledged the remarks and the public-record requests but did not take immediate votes or make administrative rulings during the meeting. Superintendent Dr. McDade and staff were asked to follow up with the procedures already in place, and several board members later referenced plans to review data and processes as part of ongoing work on discipline, reporting and family engagement.
The board’s formal next steps were not announced on the record for the citizen complaints; speakers indicated they would pursue clerk filings and direct communications with the superintendent’s office.
