school bus

Arlington Public Schools Changing Bus System

By Aaron Kraut

In an attempt to fix bus crowding, delays and long travel times, Arlington Public Schools will go to a new, voucher-based bus transportation system this school year.

School Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy announced the new policy, devised after an independent study of the system last fall, in a letter to parents in July. APS sent parents another letter on Aug. 1 urging them to update their addresses.

From the July letter:

With the start of the school year this fall, we will be moving forward with the plans that the Office of Transportation has outlined. One of the first steps underway includes the implementation of bus-routing software to help us plan routes that are more efficient so we can maximize the capacity of our bus fleet.

The second step that is critical to this plan is to serve students who are eligible to receive bus transportation services. As outlined in School Board policy, elementary school students who live more than one mile from school and secondary school students who live more than 1 1/2 miles from school will receive bus transportation.

In early August, principals will be sending families of students who are eligible for transportation services a letter that will include their child’s bus stop and route. This addresses a critical safety concern for students who ride buses and allows us to better communicate and serve families when we may experience a delay or other changes in service.

The distance rules are not a change to the transportation policy, APS spokesperson Linda Erdos said. Students who live within the mile or 1.5-mile radius who would have to cross large roadways or highways to get to school will still be allowed to take the bus.

The vouchers will be a way for bus drivers to become accustomed to the students on their routes, Erdos said, providing for what APS hopes is a safer, more efficient system with an expected 900 more students and the same amount of buses.

“We have had problems in the past when students who live in the walk zone walk outside the walk zone and get on the bus,” Erdos said. “Our priority is to add classroom teachers to teach children, not more buses. More important, the new system will let us know every student who is on a bus route. If something happened, this will let us know who’s on that bus.”

Students within the “walk zone” are being encouraged to walk or bike to school. Still, one parent thinks the new system will actually increase the number of students from inside the walk zone who drive or who hitch a ride to school, which could cause traffic and safety issues.

“I applaud Dr. Murphy on working to reform the bus system,” wrote Donaldson Run blogger Robert Cannon. “But creating a voucher system, and refusing to transport students who live just less than 1.5 miles from school is only going to make things worse.”

Bus Accident Shuts Down Street Near Hospital

By ARLnow.com

An accident reportedly involving two buses has shut down a street near Virginia Hospital Center.

16th Street N. has been temporarily shut down between George Mason Drive and N. Edison Street due to an accident reportedly involving an ART bus and a school bus.

There were no reports of injuries. No word on whether there were passengers on either bus at the time of the accident.

Update at 5:35 p.m. — The accident involved a newly-hired ART bus driver but only resulted in minor damage to bus mirrors, Arlington County Transit Bureau Chief Stephen Del Giudice confirms. Del Giudice says he believes that the ART bus had passengers on board at the time of the accident, but no injuries were reported. The school bus did not have passengers on board, he said.

Del Giudice said that police closed the road immediately following the accident for a reason unrelated to the accident. He was unable to elaborate on what that reason was.

Two Students To Be Charged in School Bus Fight

By ARLnow.com

Two Yorktown High School students will be charged with disorderly conduct after a fight broke out on a school bus this morning.

ACPD officers responded to the intersection of N. Taft Street and 21st Street, in the North Highland neighborhood, around 8:00 this morning for a report of a fight on a school bus. A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old were detained and issued juvenile petitions by police. They will both be charged with disorderly conduct, according to Arlington police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

The bus then continued on to Yorktown High School. The two students were released to face possible disciplinary action at the school.

“We can confirm that there was an altercation this morning between two students on one of the APS buses,” Arlington Public School spokesperson Frank Bellavia said. “School administrators were notified and appropriate steps are being taken in accordance with our policies and procedures.”

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Should APS Have Let Kids Out Early?

By ARLnow.com

In a move that was probably cheered by many working parents and by anybody who spent their childhood in snowier locales, Arlington Public Schools administrators declined to take the “easy” route of letting kids out of school early at the first sign of snowflakes.

Instead, while Fairfax and Loudoun students enjoyed a two-hour early release, Arlington students toughed it out.

It was a somewhat gutsy call, because anything that goes wrong on the way home is going to to be blamed on the administrators. And yes, things did go wrong.

We heard of at least three accidents involving school buses caused by the slippery conditions yesterday. There were no injuries reported in any of the accidents, but at least one after-school accident — at Kirkwood Road and 14th Street North — did involve a bus that was carrying kids at the time.

The buses, which seem to have an tough time finding traction on hilly, snow-covered county roads, ran late as a result of the poor conditions. In at least one case, the buses were running very late, as this email from a concerned APS parent points out.

I am new to the Arlington County School system, as my oldest child just entered kindergarten this year. I was somewhat surprised yesterday when every other county let out early, but APS did not. I did receive an email from the school’s assistant principal to inform me that the buses might be somewhat delayed. However, after waiting out at the bus stop for 40 minutes (with my two other small children), I called the school to find out when I could expect the bus. I was told that 2 of the buses had not even arrived yet to pick the children up, (at 4:45, an hour after normal release time), and my 5 year old was sitting in the office at the school. When I became upset, I was told by the woman on the phone “You have to understand. Some of the roads are impassable.” I was then told it would probably be best if I just came to pick up my child.

If APS cannot insure the safe transportation of all their students during inclement weather, shouldn’t that be a factor in their decision making?

If you were a school administrator, what would you have done?

Flickr pool photo by afagen

School Bus Accident Reported

By ARLnow.com

An accident involving a school bus occurred on George Mason Drive at Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) around 3:15 this afternoon.

Two students were on board at the time. They were not injured, we hear.

No word on what caused the accident.

Arlington School Bus Hits Elderly Woman

By ARLnow.com

Update at 12:25 p.m. on 10/19 — The victim, 89-year-old Louise Gabel of Falls Church, died last night. Police are still investigating the incident. So far, no charges have been filed against the bus driver.

An elderly woman is in critical condition after being struck by an Arlington County school bus.

It happened at 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Carlin Springs Road and 8th Road South. Police say the woman was crossing the intersection when she was struck. She’s currently in critical condition at a local hospital.

Twelve children were on board the bus at the time of the accident, police said. They were not injured.

“The accident is still under investigation, and more details will be released when available,” police said in a statement. The school system is planning to release a statement letter to parents regarding the accident later today, according to Arlington Public Schools spokesperson Frank Bellavia.

The bus has been impounded by police pending the investigation.

Flickr pool photo by afagen

Students, Teachers Return to School

By ARLnow.com

At 6:30 this morning, school buses were streaming out of a county facility near Shirlington, on their way to pick up students for the first day of school. It’s the start of a ritual that will continue every school day until the start of next summer.

In all, about 120 buses will pick up about 10,000 students county-wide this morning. Another 11,000 will walk or be driven to one of Arlington’s 34 public schools.

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy started his own first day ritual at the bus yard, doing a live shot on the Fox 5 Morning News, greeting bus drivers, and talking to a video crew with the school system’s TV station.

Asked about emotions and expectations on the first day of school, Dr. Murphy emphasized the importance of maintaining student engagement after the new-ness wears off.

“It’s exciting, it’s starting new, but the first day should be just like every other day,” Dr. Murphy said. “Everybody can be great on day one — it’s about being great every day.”

More photos after the jump.

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School Bus Damaged By Crane in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington County school bus somehow made contact with a crane in Ballston around noon today. No children were aboard the bus at the time and the damage was minor.

After the accident, southbound Glebe Road was shut down until the crane, which was on the ground preparing to be lifted, was hoisted in the air. One southbound lane remains closed.

The crane was working at the construction site of Virginia Tech’s new seven-story research center.