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Interim superintendent says bus drivers certified and vows corrective action after routing incident
Summary
Interim Superintendent Dr. Barbara Popp told the Union Township Board of Education that all current bus drivers are certified and that a reported incident of a driver taking an unassigned route will not recur; parents will receive a letter outlining interim plans. The district also highlighted a Stop the Bleed educator training and state assessment reporting.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Barbara Popp told the Union Township Board of Education on Oct. 28 that ensuring student safety is her top priority and that every active bus driver currently transporting district students has passed the required written and driving tests.
"The safety of our students is top priority," Dr. Popp said, and she told the board she has addressed a recent incident in which a bus driver took a route other than the one assigned and drove on Route 78. "I have been assured that this will not happen again," she said, and said the district will send a letter to parents this week describing steps the district will take until a permanent candidate is secured for the assignment.
Why it matters: transportation errors can endanger students and erode public trust. Dr. Popp framed the response as both corrective and preventative: certification checks have been confirmed, and administrative follow-up is being communicated directly to families.
The meeting also included updates on district safety and preparedness. Dr. Popp said the New Jersey Department of Education Office of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning, in partnership with the University Hospital Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Newark, provided a Stop the Bleed Train‑the‑Educator program in the district. She introduced a presentation of the 2023–24 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment results that was delivered by Laura LoPiccolo.
Business Administrator Eva Preuett separately told the board that enhancements funded by a Local Recreational Improvement Grant will include a full overhaul of the outdoor basketball court and the installation of electric height adjusters for indoor hoops.
What comes next: the superintendent said parents will receive a district letter this week explaining interim measures. The board moved to other agenda items after the report and did not take a separate vote on the transportation assurances during the meeting.
Attribution: direct quotations and paraphrases in this story are drawn from statements made by Dr. Barbara Popp, Laura LoPiccolo and Eva Preuett during the Oct. 28 meeting of the Union Township Board of Education.
