We’ve all been there, trapped on a long school bus ride with nothing to do. What can you do to avoid boredom? The answer is whatever you want!
The time spend on school bus rides has increased over the last year. Students spend time in school buses where they try to do their homework while on the bus. The after-school rides take more time. It makes students sleep or listen to music after they finish the assignments. A 12-year-old student will spend 2 hours and fifty minutes every day on a school bus. Families that live along the scenic roadways got surprised to find no bus rides. It happened on day one of schooling. Some students have to take more than 3 hours every day on a school bus.
Calley had a conversation with this common problem and reported a misconception. She said the misperception is that many western Loudoun families have stay-at-home parents. These parents can help in driving kids to school.
When does she ride the bus home after school? People perceive stay-at-home-parents to be firefighters, house cleaners, teachers and farmworkers. They can ferry students to and from school on a daily basis.
Tami Carlaw decided to find a solution when her children took long from school. The same problems also affected her neighbors. Her meeting with the school transport department brought to life a shuttle program. The shuttle had to pick students from school and drop them at the Lovettsville Library. The students ought to hang around the library until when picked by their parents. The program was a good one before the funders stopped it. The long hours of up to three hours are equal to adults’ time while commuting to their jobs. Families living on the dirt roads in south Lincoln had their children walk. The walking was unsafe for kids, especially those below the age of 6 years. The roads they are using are unsafe, even for adults.
What’s the cause of these long rides?
Kevin Lewis, the school superintendent assistant for support services, made a remark. He said they expected the changes. Kevin said they revise the school pick up areas and routes every year based on many factors. That explains the fact of how long is too long on a school bus. He requests parents and students who are new to these changes to adjust to fit the changes. The leadership changes are also a factor that causes the changes in the routing system. Every new administrator of the transport department will always have their route schedule.
The rise in the department’s budget is also a factor. Funding grew by 23%, while enrollment grew by 38%. It makes the transport sector struggle with the high number of students. They have to find alternative routes that will serve them equally.
Many parents in western Loudoun are willing to fund the program. The challenge is that the law prohibits the school from charging transportation fees. Employee and fund shortages are among the stiff challenges affecting the transport department. So far, there is a shortage of unfilled 89 positions for bus drivers.
Conclusion
The transport department aims to reduce the time a student stays while on transit to and from school. It’s the reason why routes constantly change. The advice from the department concerned is that parents and students have to adjust.
