The first day of school for Stafford students in all grade levels saw far fewer bus unrouted bus riders, but the school district’s transportation woes still aren’t fully resolved.
On Monday, the county’s transition day, about 3,000 students had not received a bus route, forcing parents and caregivers to make alternate arrangements for getting those students to school.
Chief Communications Officer Sandra Osborn said that the number of unrouted students had been reduced by two-thirds as of Tuesday, and additional support was being sent to the transportation office.
“This is something we do at the beginning of every year,” Osborn said of the bus routing process. “We did not anticipate significant inefficiencies with the new routing software.”
On Monday evening, acting schools superintendent Chris Fulmer sent a letter to county parents asking for their patience.
“Dear Parents and Guardians, I wanted to follow up on the letter you received last night with a heartfelt apology and an update on the ongoing issue with bus route assignments,” Fulmer’s letter reads. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are still students who have not been assigned a bus route.
“I understand how deeply frustrating this is, and I want to acknowledge that while some delays with transportation can be expected during the first few weeks of school, not having your child routed at all is unacceptable. For this, we take full responsibility.”
Parents are being asked to continue to bring their child to school by vehicle if possible, but students will not be penalized for tardiness or absences due to the routing issue.
“Please know that we take this matter very seriously, and we are committed to resolving it as quickly as possible,” Fulmer wrote. “We sincerely apologize for the ongoing inconvenience and frustration this has caused and appreciate your continued patience and understanding.”
