ROANOKE, Va. – As Roanoke City School students return to the classroom for their second week, there will be some adjustments to bus routes that parents should keep in mind.
Last week, Superintendent Dr. Verletta White took to Facebook in a video message to address concerns from parents about their kids arriving to school late or not making it home in a timely fashion.
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This comes amid the start of the new staggered bell schedule where students are picked up in 15-minute intervals, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 9 a.m. It’s the first time the school has implemented the new system with hopes of addressing ongoing transportation issues.
However, there were some first-week challenges with the new schedule that left many parents frustrated, which is why school leaders are making some changes to minimize delays.
“Making sure that our students get to and from school safely and on time is a responsibility that we take seriously, that I take seriously,” Dr. White said in the video. “It is my responsibility to make sure we do so effectively each day. So, I want you to know that just like you, we care about where our students are and want them to be safe, as well. To that end, we have boots on the ground, where we have deployed our central office staff, to monitor, help, and support our schools with transportation.”
One of the major causes of bus delays is overlapping route times, according to Dr. White. While RCPS ran software to check for routing conflicts back in July, there were several additions and changes to student enrollment that led to overlaps that were not originally identified.
In addition to this, another reason for issues with transportation are traffic in school areas and parents/guardians not picking up their child from their respective bus stop, something that is a requirement for younger students and students with disabilities.
“Again, if you have a student who is in preschool, pre-K, or kindergarten, or a student with disabilities who utilizes special transportation, you must as a parent or guardian, meet your child at their bus stop in the afternoon. If you are not there, our bus drivers cannot drop your child off. On the first day of school, we had 71 students who were not met by a parent or guardian,” she said.
Overall, Dr. White is hopeful for improvement and took the time to thank families for their patience while encouraging them to continue to provide feedback and hold RCPS accountable.
You can find your child’s adjusted bus route on RCPS’ Transportation Department’s bus routes webpage.
Dr. White’s full video message can be found below: