School Bus Problems In Northeast: 'A Parent's Worst Nightmare'

PERRY HALL, MD — Putting their kids on the bus to school has been a harrowing experience for many families in Perry Hall and Kingsville this week. Only two days in to the school year, two Perry Hall officials say they have fielded dozens of complaints from parents whose lives have been turned upside-down by the transportation situation.

"This day was a parent's worst nightmare for many," one wrote on Baltimore County Board of Education member Julie Henn's Facebook page.

"Over the past two days, BCPS School Board member Julie Henn and I have responded to dozens of messages about bus issues," Councilman David Marks wrote Wednesday, Sept. 4. "We've heard lots of reasons. There aren't enough bus drivers. We've gotten calls from former bus drivers who quit because of bad student behavior. BCPS claims that some parents waited until late to register their kids, throwing off routing models."

Baltimore County Public Schools said in a statement to Fox 45 that "many changes, including to bus stops, were made to provide better transportation service to BCPS students for the 2019–2020 school year," in consultation with bus drivers and industry experts. Officials asked for "patience from the community as we all adjust to the implemented changes," Fox 45 reported.

In the meantime, parents say they and the students are suffering the consequences.

Some said that their children missed classes because of late buses. Others said buses were so crowded there was no place for children to sit.

"My daughter was at her bus stop at 645 the morning. Her bus didn't come until 810 am. I called the school and bus lot as well as transportation office to hear we don't know where the bus is. Excuse me how do you NOT know where a bus is when you've got children waiting??? The kids missed their ENTIRE 1st period class due to the bus situation. Please tell me how this is FAIR to our children?"

Henn alerted her followers that she was aware of and committed to resolving to the situation.

"While I am hearing of some improvements in the northeast, it is clear there's still a lot of work to be done," Henn wrote Tuesday, Sept. 3, the first day of school. "We must ensure that all students are reliably, efficiently, and safely transported to and from school."

Reliable, efficient and safe were not words that parents used to describe what they encountered.

Here are some of the comments they left on Henn's post:

• "Between the bus not showing at all in the morning and running super late at 4:58 (school is less than 3 mi away) I sincerely hope some improvement is coming soon. Worse still it seems our school knew of the issues and neglected to report anything to the parents."
• "my daughter was told her bus would be at PHMS 20 minutes late every day, unacceptable. Why the bus routes in Kingsville were changed is beyond me, for the first time in 3 years we have a different bus, driver and route and now she is late and doesn’t get home til close to 4."
• "I question the new schedule times more than the lateness of buses. My dtr’s PHMS bus is scheduled an hour later than the past 2 years. Granted she was on the bus for a solid 50 mins in the past so that could be a positive change. Today I took all the kids to school. Again the bus was only 15 mins late but school started in 5 & the kids didn’t want to be late. The bus driver also refuses to come into our neighborhood -Gunpowder Overlook even though that is the designated bus stop. "
• "Hoping for relief from crowding on busses. Maximum capacity is 72 on a bus and I can assure you that when there are 3-4 middle schoolers in a seat AND kids on the floor, that is a well exceeded number!"
• "I hope today there is a different outcome with these buses. My 9 year old son's bus arrived at the bus stop at 6:07 pm. I did not receive a single phone call from the school making me aware of the bus situation. The bus didn’t arrive at the school to pick up the children until 5:00pm. Yesterday was unacceptable. I understand a 20 minute delay but over an hour after my son was supposed to be dropped off at the bus stop? That’s absurd. I am ashamed of Baltimore County and even more ashamed of the school. Yesterday was not about the kids. This must be fixed now."

One parent in Kingsville said that a bus was combined with two others.

Another said she would have to take her daughter to school; otherwise, she would not be able to make it to extracurricular activities for which she was already signed up. "Some kids' rides today in Kingsville took two hours," she explained.

One bus reportedly got lost on the way to Perry Hall Elementary School and was also on a route to go to Perry Hall Middle School, then was also supposed to go to Gunpowder, said one mother, who noted to get her daughter to school: "I’ve had to drive her both days so far. Very frustrating."

The bus drivers are not faulted, and some parents have said they feel for those behind the wheel.

"Our driver was so sweet but looked so stressed," one mom wrote.

Henn encouraged parents to email her at jhenn@bcps.org if they have concerns.

They can also call the Baltimore County Public Schools Transportation Department at 443-809-4321 or email Transportation_ContactUs@bcps.org.

One parent said that working with the school system's transportation department was helpful.

"The Kingsville area was particularly horrific today but I must say that I spoke to transportation and our own bus lot and both representatives were empathetic, kind, and willing to help," the mother wrote. "Hopefully it gets better quick because today was nothing less than a hot mess!"