HOWELL — The Howell K-8 School District Board of Education has decided it will not place bus aides on school buses that carry kindergarten through second grade pupils to and from school.
Board members informed members of the public of their decision at a recent meeting.
“At a board retreat, the board discussed the issue in detail and at this time the board is not going to put aides on the K-2 buses. The issue will be revisited if needed in the future, if the administration brings that to the board as a concern,” board member Al Miller said.
“An orientation period will be provided. A time will be provided where the buses will return after the kids are in school. The kids will come out, similar to a little field trip, where they will go over the use of the seatbelts, taking the seatbelts on and off and (staff will) make sure the children are all comfortable doing that.
“As far as dismissal (time), the school is going to work out some type of colors, animals or letters that are age appropriate, instead of a bus number. This way it will be easier for the children to understand what bus they are on and quicker for the teachers to identify what bus children go on; so dismissal will be a little quicker and efficient,” Miller said.
The issue of whether to place aides on buses carrying the district’s youngest pupils arose after several incidents regarding transportation were brought to the attention of the board by parents during the first few weeks of the school year.
A reconfiguration of the schools that was instituted this year means pupils in the fourth and fifth grades no longer ride on buses with the K-2 pupils and are not available to provide assistance if needed.
Mary Rose Malley, who was a candidate in the Nov. 3 election for a seat on the board, spoke in support of placing aides on the K-2 buses.
“There were problems this year and I cannot forget one story from a mom who did not know where her child was when the bus brought everyone else from the neighborhood home except for her child. She stood right here and told you all about that. Trust me, not knowing where your child is, even for a few minutes, is like an eternity, filled with panic and unbelievable fear,” Malley said.
“I also heard that kindergartners should know how to buckle their seatbelts. Well, even if that is an appropriate skill for a 5- year-old, not all 5-year-olds have the same skill sets when they first enter school. Please keep in mind that if you ask any parent who puts their 5-year-old on a bus for first time they will all say that is their baby and if anything can be done to ensure the safety of our babies and to alleviate parent concerns it should be done,” Malley said.
Board President Timothy O’Brien said the safety of the children is critical and at the foundation of everything the board does.
“As we move forward, I know the administration is looking at issues that are raised through the public and community interaction, and I know it is a deep, deep concern, the safety of our kids,” O’Brien said. “We all, at one point or another, including currently, have had our children in this district. I completely understand those concerns and I know the commitment of this board and the administration is profound in looking for every way to make sure our children arrive and return home safely. I applaud the fact that we are offering orientation services at the beginning of the year.”
O’Brien said that during a three-hour retreat the board members discussed how to offer the best education to each student in order to help each child realize his or her potential.
“It was a really energizing event. The first topic we spent a significant portion of time on was student achievement,” he said. “Our administration is not looking to evaluate (students) with external data by state-mandated testing, but through an internal thoughtful gathering of facts that mean something to each student and their success, and using the insight and wisdom of our staff to create a sense of how we can assist each child, that type of individualized focus.”
Superintendent of Schools Joseph Isola said, “I am excited about the future of Howell’s schools. Thank you for being a supportive board. We will continue to be brave enough to fail because we will not accept the status quo.”