PRESS RELEASE
September 08, 2011
ENFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUS SCHEDULES – PLAN OF ACTION
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The school administration realizes that the new bus routes created for the K-5 buildings need correction. The afternoon drop-off times for many students are far too lengthy. The problem has been discussed with the leadership of the Board of Education, Smyth Bus, the principals, and Central Office administrators. The key cause of the problem has been the length of time taken to load students at the middle school, the 3-5 buildings, and the K-2 buildings.
The middle school situation was corrected in two days. It involved redirecting after school parent pickup into the north parking lot, thereby retaining the south lot for school bus departure only. Additionally, students not riding a bus home are not dismissed until the buses depart. We are now focusing on the bus loading and departure times at the K-5 buildings.
Each elementary building principal is preparing a correction plan for their building. Since each building is unique and the numbers of buses at each building vary, the plans are not identical. However, the building plan may include some, or all, of the following strategies:
a. Relocating private day care vans to an alternate pickup site;
b. Detaining non-riders until the buses depart;
c. Loading buses through different exit doors;
d. Requiring 3-5 students to sit in the rear of the bus to facilitate seating for K-2 students;
e. Redirecting the flow of parent/guardian driven vehicles in the lot;
f. Strategies unique to a specific building.
Your building principal will be sending home the plan for your school with your child. The plan will also be posted on the school website at www.enfieldschools.org.
Parents and guardians can help. If your child is a bus rider please let him/her ride the bus. If your child is a walker let him/her walk home. Many schools have a large number of personal vehicles entering the lots. If you are driving into the school lot please be patient, drive carefully, and take care not to block traffic flow lanes.
While we want to shorten the time your child is on the bus, our # 1 priority is still safety. We do not want to sacrifice safe practices to attain shorter runs. Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this problem.
Posted: 09-09-11