NASHUA, NH – A new software system has left some Nashua students unassigned to a bus for the new school year.
At a Board of Education meeting on Monday night, Superintendent Mario Andrade said a message was sent out to families that evening reminding them to check transportation routes on the parent portal as many bus stops have changed.
He also said he had received a number of calls from parents whose children were not assigned a bus at all. This is due to a mistake made by a new software system the district is using.
According to Andrade, when the new software routed the schools, it did not pick up students who were within walking distance of their school – the walking distance is one mile for elementary school students and 2 miles for secondary school students.
“If we can have a little grace this week, we want to ensure everyone’s safety moving forward,” he said.
He added that any family experiencing an issue can fill out a form that can be found by clicking on a link on the district’s homepage, and that parents can check the parent portal over the weekend to see if there’s been any updates.
“Hopefully by Tuesday everything will be ironed out,” he said.
In other bus-related news, word of a possible strike among bus drivers that could affect Nashua has been circulating.
According to an article from WMUR, bus drivers belonging to the labor union Teamsters Local 633 have said they might strike against First Student, the company Nashua and various other towns partner with for school bus transportation.
According to the article, the union has been negotiating their contract with First Student since the spring. Jeffrey Padellaro, secretary treasurer/principal officer for the union, told WMUR that while pension is a key issue behind the reason to strike, other economic issues are involved, and that “The New Hampshire bus drivers are underpaid.”
Andrade said that Teamsters Local 633 is set to negotiate with First Student on September 10 and 11, and that there is no impending strike as of right now.
“Over the next two weeks, there should be no strikes,” Andrade said.
