Three weeks into the school year, bus issues are still not resolved

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NASHUA, NH – “My two children and many others are still without bus transportation and not getting very much information from the district at all about what to expect or when it can be resolved or what we should do,” said Erica Proto, a mother of two children in the Nashua school district.  

At a Board of Education meeting on Aug. 28, Superintendent Mario Andrade said a number of phone calls were received from parents whose children were not assigned a bus due to a new software that did not pick up students who were within walking distance of their school – the walking distance being one mile for elementary school students and 2 miles for secondary school students. 

“Hopefully by Tuesday [Sept. 3] everything will be ironed out,” he had said. 

Now, three weeks later, some students are still left without a bus. 

Despite paying for her daughter’s bus transportation the week before school started – payment is only required for high school students – Proto has had to alter her work schedule to bring her children to and from school. 

“It’s tricky because I [would have to] bring my daughter to school at 7 a.m. and then to bring my son at 9 a.m., and then I’d have to pick up my daughter at 2 p.m. and my son at 3:30 p.m.,” she said. “My office is in Concord, I’m a nurse, and that would leave from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to work, so that’s not really feasible in the long term.”

According to Proto, the increase in parents having to transport their children to and from school has caused an increase in traffic, the process of picking up her daughter from Nashua North and driving her 2 miles home taking upwards of 45 minutes. 

The district has been advising families to reach out to the transportation help desk, which leads them to a google form to fill out. Despite several calls, emails and help desk tickets, Proto said she has not received any direct communication from the district, aside from district wide emails sent from the superintendent. 

At the last Board meeting, Andrade said the district has been working with the software company to address the issue. 

In the most recent email, sent out to families on Sept. 13, Andrade said, “While we have made strides, we are taking an additional week to ensure that all bus stops and student assignments are accurate before rolling out the revised bus runs. We understand how crucial reliable transportation is for your family, and we continue to work diligently to resolve any remaining issues. We will provide updates with any new information as soon as it becomes available.” 

“Even the routes that are running I think have definitely had way more than the normal beginning of the year kind of hiccups,” Proto said. “It’s just made for a very tough start to the school year for myself and my family.”  

Superintendent Andrade was not able to be reached for comment. The Ink Link will provide updates as they occur.