District 135 Will Stick with Same Bus Company

Orland Park District 135 will keep its contract with a beleaguered bus company—for now, at least.

Board members convened a special meeting Wednesday to discuss how the district would handle its working relationship with Positive Connections, one district parents say has been laden with irresponsible drivers and unsafe situations. Parents last week demanded the board fire Positive Connections, which just began serving the district this year.

The board decided to keep Positive Connections onboard but to augment its services with 30 additional routes by former provider American Bus Co. Administrators approached other companies about taking over the district’s services, but none said they had the staff to do so, said Superintendent Janet Stutz.

“Everyone has worked very hard to make this right,” Stutz said.

The extra rides will be added in places where there are problem routes, Stutz said, and will offer both a.m. and p.m. transport.

The district has investigated all concerns about specific drivers, Stutz said, and continues to monitor all services. Those drivers who have not maintained district standards have been moved off of district routes, she added, and the district is demanding practice runs.

“I’m realistic ... there might be lingering issues in the course of the next few weeks,” she said. ”To move forward, we’re going to rectify these unexpected problems, because we have to ensure that our families are no longer burdened by transportation issues.

“All of us here are keeping a laser-like focus on what is going on.”

Still parents called for more definitive action, including ousting the bus company entirely.

“This board is going to explore every single option with that (getting Positive Connections out) for next year, but as it stands, we are going to focus on the issues that we have right now,” said Board President Joe La Margo.

When pressed for information on how the integration of the new provider was handled, board members passed the blame to Positive Connections. Parents fired back with ”no’s” and angry murmurs.

“You don’t have our trust anymore,” one mom said, after relaying a story of her son, who is autistic and was distressed when he was not picked up on time. “We don’t trust the bus company, and I think that you need to reassure the parents that everything is going to be OK.”

A mother whose son attends Liberty asks if the bus drivers are provided with lists of where students should be getting on and off, after her son missed his stop and got off in the wrong place.

“With those added routes,” Stuz said, “we hope we regain your confidence.”

See how the meeting played out:

Orland District 135 Board of Education is holding a second special meeting to tackle the problem of unsatisfactory bus service.

Parents have filed hundreds of complaints including missed or late pickups and drop-offs, profanity on board the buses, rolling through stop signs, and getting lost while en route and demanded that D135 fire Positive Connections. The meeting is being held for the board to reach a consensus on what comes next for the district’s transportation.

7:30 p.m.

President Joe La Margo calls meeting to order, promises everyone will get a chance to speak.

“Everyone has worked very hard to make this right,” said Superintendent Janet Stutz.

They have added buses, drivers, add 30 routes to remedy the problems, hit the key routes. Asking the Board of Education to commit to adding 30 routes starting next week.

The district has investigated all concerns about specific drivers, and continue to be monitored. Those who have not maintained district standards have been moved out of District 135. The district is demanding practice runs.

“I’m realistic ... there might be lingering issues in the course of the next few weeks. To move forward, we’re going to rectify these unexpected problems, because we have to ensure that our families are no longer burdened by transportation issues.

“All of us here are keeping a laser-like focus on what is going on. ... This cannot happen again. I can’t bring back your first day—to the child who stood by the front door—we gotta fix this.”

The district will bring in former bus company American Bus Co. to augment Positive Connections services, providing families with 30 additional routes beginning next week.

Stutz said the district has asked other bus companies if they could come in and take over all District 135 services, should the district sever ties with Positive Connections. No companies were able to do that, Stutz said, largely due to a shortage in bus drivers across the state.

7:45 p.m., Public comment begins

La Margo apologizes for calling a special board meeting that conflicted with open houses last week, but stressed the board wanted to address the topic as soon as possible.

Another parent said her child’s bus driver did not know what time the school day started, and kids were standing on a bus instead of being seated, or too many to a seat.

Teresa Shinnick questions if the district is phasing out Positive Connections, but Stutz said ”it is not realistic” that American Bus Company could take over the entire account. ”There wasn’t one company that could.”

“This board is going to explore every single option with that (getting Positive Connections out) for next year, but as it stands, we are going to focus on the issues that we have right now. That the students are being picked up, dropped off on time, in a safe manner.”

Administration working with police department to monitor buses, speeds of buses. Parents concerned about a particular bus should call police.

A father steps up to ask if the district is aware of where registered sex offenders live; Stutz said they keep a registry, and work with police to monitor any new updates, examine routes, to verify that children are not being dropped off in front of those homes.

“How long are we going to have to deal with this? What if we’re two months down the road and we’re still dealing with these issues?” one father said.

Additional buses are being brought in to address problematic issues, and can continue to add services to make sure issues are resolved.

Some parents said issues their families experienced in the first week have been resolved. Another mother stepped up to ask if teachers will continue to ride the buses; Stutz says yes, that teachers will remain on the bus on problem routes.

The new routes will be handled by ABC, but by doing that, it will enable them to get to the other routes on time, Stutz said.

Another parent asks, “with the teachers riding the buses and adding the extra buses, how much is that going to cost the district?” La Margo responds that Positive Connections will cover the cost of overtime and other costs incurred during this process.

“I fear this issue with the buses is just the tip of the iceberg,” parent says. “The district did not do its due diligence ... with this bidder.

“I have significant concerns that the administration is just not up to the task.”

“You don’t have our trust anymore,” one mom said, after relaying a story of her son, who is autistic and was distressed when he was not picked up on time. “We don’t trust the bus company, and I think that you need to reassure the parents that everything is going to be OK.”

A mother whose son attends Liberty asks if the bus drivers are provided with lists of where students should be getting on and off, after her son missed his stop and got off in the wrong place.

“With those added routes, we hope we regain your confidence,” Stutz said.

A mother from St. Michael’s said her son’s bus is picking students up at 6:49, dropping them off at 7 a.m., when school does not start until 7:30 a.m.

District will send out communication via e-blast about how parents will be notified about any changes to services.

Another parent says there is “no comfort level,” and that she has no answers that make her feel comfortable.

“We know that Positive Connection cannot handle all the routes,” Stutz said. ”We’re going to add the 30 routes to the fleet, and then we’ll be monitoring them. Adding these routes, we’re hoping will resolve all these issues. ... We want to have an opportunity to add them.”

La Margo reminds parents that all board meetings are open, and parents can call or email members.

Three drivers have been moved off District 135 routes after complaints, Stutz said.

“Who was in charge of the transition, and who is responsible for these missteps?” one father demands.

“I would say Positive Connection,” Stutz said. “They were our contractor. ... As we take a look at doing our due diligence, doing our reference checks...”

“Loyalty, respect, and trust can’t be contracted, appointed, or elected,” the same father said. “It’s earned.”

La Margo stresses that the board will continue to monitor the issue and tweak the process until satisfied.

9 p.m.

The board voted to approve an emergency expenditure to pay American Bus Company for additional route service effective Monday, September 7.

9:05 p.m.

Meeting adjourned.