Past time to prioritize and fix school busing woes
Anne Arundel County School Superintendent Dr. George Arlotto’s opinion piece Sept. 5 stated we must practice grace, patience, and flexibility entering the new school year. Such sentiment is not just for global pandemics; grace, patience, and flexibility are how great teachers make our kids love school each day, every year.
Yet Arlotto missed the mark in headlining what county public schools should be focusing on. The Annapolis cluster has shouted it for decades: equity, safety, and transparency. Oh, and transparent, safe, equitable transportation.
We are witnessing the horrors of the latest school transportation debacle. Bus routes without service increased since the first day of school. Caregivers spend 60 minutes in pickup lines, just for one kid. Those are the lucky ones.
On Sept. ember 13, eight out of 18 buses without service were in Annapolis, mostly low-income communities without reliable transportation. That was just buses listed. As I write this, Hillsmere Elementary’s bus to Robinwood will not be in service this afternoon. I live next to Robinwood and never want kids walking 1.8 miles along Forest Drive.
Do we need to pull the studies showing if students can’t get to school safely and on time, they can’t learn?
Inconsistency in Anne Arundel County Public Schools communication adds fuel to the fire of inequities. According to reports, school leaders didn’t know the scope of the busing problem until the week before schools opened. Yet the bus companies and transportation department expressed concerns for months. That means communication within the central office is worse than thought, people are lying, or both.
In a letter dated Sept. 10 to families, Arlotto admitted it was a mistake not knowing the impacted bus routes sooner. That was sandwiched between throwing blame at the nationwide bus driver shortage and Board of Education-approved bus contractors. Saying assigning drivers to routes is the “responsibility of the contractor, not AACPS” doesn’t negate the school system’s responsibility in telling the contractors which routes to fill.
Great leaders admit mistakes and apologize. The letter came across like a classic non-apology of “I’m sorry, but ... ”
Want more inadequate communication? Entering the second week of school, there are videos for the new classroom software Brightspace but no visible link for families to access it. What’s more, the school system didn’t actually answer its own FAQ: “What if I do not have a computer or access to the internet at home? You can log in to Brightspace for Families on any device — including your Smartphone!” So Anne Arundel County Public Schools, let’s ask again: What if families can’t access the internet?
While we are asking, where is the COVID testing in schools? Why are principals left with individual authority to allow or deny outside eating? Why are students being cited as tardy due to no bus? Why can’t students access online learning unless officially ordered quarantined for 10-plus days? Why did the schooly system revert to the inequitable asynchronous learning for those in quarantine? Circling back, why didn’t drivers get reassigned to routes most in need, allowing families with more privilege to problem-solve while more drivers are hired?
None of this is new. Audits of the school board, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and the transportation system specifically outline ways to get the effective, safe, and equitable school system we all want. So far, though, the school system refuses to go outside its comfort zone. Elected leaders voice concern with no action.
Those in authority must do whatever is needed to ensure our kids get to school and receive the education guaranteed under law. So collaborate and prioritize our most vulnerable kids above the system.