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D-49 parent angry after kids left at bus stop

Posted at 7:40 PM, Apr 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-01 21:55:03-04

A mother is raising questions after her kids and others were left waiting at a Falcon School District 49 bus transfer point. She says it took far too long for district transportation staff to figure out there had been an oversight after a bus breakdown.

Jenny Gallegos used the school choice option to send her three kids to schools outside their neighborhood school boundaries. She said, ”The district still provides transportation.” It requires the kids catching a bus in their neighborhood and riding to Skyview Middle School where they transfer to another bus.

There was an issue Monday when their first bus broke down. Another bus was sent, David Nancarrow with D-49 said, “A notification was sent informing parents of the mechanical problem” The issue turned to confusion when it arrived at the transfer point late. The bus for their second leg was gone.

Gallegos is questioning why the kids were left with no bus on the way and no guidance. She and the district know at some point the kids decided to start walking. There are questions about when school leaders learned the kids had been left and when a bus was sent to get them.

“As soon as D-49 Transportation Department understood the situation, staff contacted the students, and sent a bus,” said Nancarrow. They were taken safely to school.

Gallegos says all kids carry a pass with a bar code that tracks when they  get on and off buses. She says it took too long for the district to discover the issue.  “I ended up calling transportation and 45 minutes after they figured out what happened they sent a third bus to come find the kids,” said Gallegos, “I had to communicate and put a three way call through for them to even know where the kids were.” She says rather than learning about the problem from the district, she got a cell phone call from the kids. She also called her kids schools that had already started. Attendance had just been taken and showed that the kids were absent.

In response to the situation D-49 states they take the safety of students seriously. Systems in place are meant to keep buses on track and ensure student safely reach their destinations. The situation will be reviewed to determine if there is an issue that needs correction.