Busing Issues Escalate in Barrington — Schoolyard Accident and Missing Monitor

Busing Issues Escalate in Barrington — Schoolyard Accident and Missing Monitor

A mother in Barrington is questioning why a monitor was not present on a bus that her 5 and 7-year-old children were on -- and allowed to leave the bus unattended. This marks the latest in busing concerns in the town since the start of the school year. 

Other issues this week included a bus accident that saw police called to the high school.

After the school district decided last spring to move the middle and high school start times later for the current school year, families have been calling out what they say have been significant problems in the changes to the school busing schedule,

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“Whether you’re for the change of start time or not,  I can’t understand how it could be implemented like this,” said Allyson Naperotic, who has one child at Hampden Meadows — and her two younger children at Nayatt Elementary. “We need to fix it. Someone needs to say this isn’t working. And we need to go back to the drawing board. It’s not fair when the children’s well-being is at stake.”

The move from what had been a three-tiered system to a two-tiered one for the current school year has meant longer bus rides for younger students, according to parents -- and logistical issues which have called into question student safety.

“Harrowing” Episode

Naperotic spoke to the recent incident in which she said there had been an “understandable” mix-up when she had gone to Nayatt to pick up her youngest children, but they had already boarded the bus and left for home. 

“So I went to chase down the bus,” said Naperotic, who said she kept trying to catch up to the bus as it made its stops — and assumed they would have not let off her five and seven-year-old children without someone there to pick them up. 

“When I finally got to the bus, my children weren’t on it, and the bus driver couldn’t tell me why there was no monitor,” said Naperotic. “They had gotten off at our stop and just walked home — and we’re not close. I found them at home [with their older sibling] sitting and having snacks. They were fine, but my heart was pounding.”

“I’m hoping the bus issues get ironed out, but I’m keeping them off the bus as much as I can,” said Naperotic. “For me, I’ve got some flexibility, but other parents don’t. I just can’t put them on a bus for 50 minutes each way.”

According to state statute, for transportation provided to children enrolled in grades kindergarten through five (5), “school bus monitors, other than the school bus driver, shall be required on all school-bound and home-bound routes. Variances to the requirement for a school bus monitor may be granted by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education if he or she finds that an alternative plan provides substantially equivalent safety for children.”

Superintendent Mike Messore did not respond to request for comment on the lack of monitor. 

Bus Hits Gate, Police Called

This week, Barrington Middle School Principal Dr. Andy Anderson’s office sent an email out to parents following an accident at the high school — which caused middle school students to be late for school.

“Bus 5 delayed this morning from high school to middle school,”  stated the subject line of the email. “While Bus 5 was at the high school this morning, it accidentally hit a gate on the driveway in the bus exit route. There were no injuries but the police were called protocol. “