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Home > Blogs > Lakota Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > September > 12 > Entry
Bus issues
Board President Jamie Green said she has heard more than usual complaints about bus routes this year.
From what I hear, the majority of complaints are about the amount of time students are on the bus, but also about how many children there are per seat. One parent asked that the Petermann office remain open until all children are safely home. Another parent said the routes were completely inefficient, and if parents looked at them in a focus group, they could tell the route organizers the amount of time it would take. Some parents at the District Parent Council said they wanted to volunteer to help the drivers on the buses for younger children. District officials said they would look into this, but they didn’t think it would be permitted. I will keep you posted on all of these items, but I am curious how you have faired with busing this year so far? How would you solve the problems?
Chris Passarge, business manager for the district, said it is a complicated process. First, he said three Petermann representatives plug the district’s information into a computer and it creates routes. Next, the union members bid on the routes they want. The driver then practices the routes to see if it is feasible in the allotted time frame. However, some of those drivers test the buses at the wrong time of day, he said, so the anticipated traffic is actually more during the actual route time. Finally, he said the drivers look at the first week and the district makes adjustments for construction, road closings and traffic. There are more than 18,000 students riding buses to Lakota and private schools, so Passarge said this isn’t an easy process.
Why don’t parents just drive their own children to and from school if they are concerned about the time spent on the bus? I never rode the bus growing up, because my mom or someone in the carpool took us or we walked the mile to school. Some of the parents have said they follow the bus to or from school to time it. If parents are doing that, why don’t they just pick their kids up? I know some parents don’t have the option to drive their children, but what about those that do? What are the reasons you choose the bus? I am honestly just curious. I hear many parents say it is because their kids want to ride the bus so much. Others say it is because they work a varied schedule and can’t drive them every day.
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