Portsmouth Public Schools acknowledges ‘extended delays’ in bus transport as year begins

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Each year as a new school year begins, it is expected there may be some bumps in the road that need to be worked out before everyone is in a routine.

For Portsmouth Public Schools, that has proven true when it comes to bus transportation.

“We have certainly experienced some extended delays in these first days of school, and we are grateful for families’ understanding as transportation staff works to expedite routes,” said Lauren Nolasco, chief communications officer for the school division.

While Nolasco didn’t elaborate on what defined an extended delay, several 10 On Your Side viewers wrote in to say they were significant. One parent told us her children hadn’t been dropped off “within an hour of being out of school all week.”

“Drivers were still learning their routes in these first days of school, and families who did not complete the School Check-In were not originally scheduled bus stops, as bus service was not requested,” Nolasco said. “That said, all students were routed as of yesterday, which will help with efficiencies for the rest of this week and school year.”

She added that the bus route completion had a 30-minute improvement from Monday to Tuesday and another 30-minute improvement Tuesday to Wednesday, with the exception of one bus route.

However, parent Nicole Henry said the desire to improve service time better not lead to safety lapses.

On Wednesday, her five-year-old daughter was let off at the wrong stop.

The bus was coming from Douglas Park Elementary School and dropping off students in the Brighton area of the city around 3:40 p.m., according to Henry.

Just as she had the day before, Henry went to the stop and waited for her kindergartener. However, of the several students that disembarked, her daughter wasn’t one of them. So she went up to talk to the driver.

It was then she was told that her daughter had already gotten off.

“Absolutely, like panic,” Henry said, describing her emotions in the moment. “So I asked her. I said, ‘what do you mean you let my child off the bus?’ And she didn’t answer me. So I quickly … I looked through the bus window. And that’s when I saw her across the street. And so I quickly got off the bus and I just, like, ran down.”

Her daughter was unharmed, but Henry fears what could have happened.

“She’s five and she has autism,” Henry said. “So, like, on top of that, they are already a targeted population. We are not in, like, the greatest of areas. There’s a lot of people that walk up and down these streets.”

Nolasco confirms policy was not followed.

“Preschoolers and kindergartners must have a parent/guardian/adult designee at the bus stop for afternoon drop off,” Nolasco said in a statement. “If there is not a parent/guardian/adult designee, the child is supposed to be taken back to his/her school. This is a personnel matter, so I am limited in what I can further share, but appropriate action is being taken. Transportation staff have reached out to the parent as well.”

Thursday, Henry’s daughter was dropped off at the right stop, but the whole situation leaves her uneasy.

“I just want to bring awareness,” Henry said. “And I also want to have a solution. I want to know that I can feel safe, because right now, I don’t trust it.”

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