August 29, 2011
Board of Education
Warrensburg R6 School District
438 East Market Street
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Dear Board of Education Members;
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Leah LoChiano. My family moved to Warrensburg July 23rd, 2011. We are brand new to your town and school district. So far, we’ve been less than pleased and very concerned about our child’s safety when it comes to the school district and transportation hired by the school district. My six year old attends Ridgeview Elementary, where I have heard a student was lost on the first day of school. As a parent of a child attending Ridgeview, it would have been nice to receive a letter explaining this situation instead of hearing rumors of it at the grocery store, gas station and library. Other than that incident, I have little complaint of Ridgeview Elementary itself.
My complaint lies within the company our school district has hired to safely transport our children to and from school. According to the Warrensburg R6 School District website, you state that your goal (in part) is to “Recruit, attract, develop and retain highly qualified staff to carry out the LEA (local educational agency)/District mission, goals, and objectives.” And to “Provide and maintain appropriate instructional resources, support services, and functional and safe facilities.” I believe that these goals have not been attained by continuing to employ Apple Bus Company as transportation for our schools.
Recruiting Apple Bus means recruiting the employees they have hired to transport our students. The bus driver of bus 13 has not been properly trained or is not highly qualified to fulfill her duties as a bus driver for this district. The conversation I had with this driver has led me to believe she does not consider the best interest of my student in her decision making. The first day of school, she did not drive down our street to stop at 8th & Anderson as she was instructed. We were instructed by Patty at Apple Bus to wait there around 7:50am. My husband took our son out early (7:30am) to take pictures. At 8:15am, we called Apple Bus and they told us she forgot to stop at our stop. Frustrated but understanding, as it was the first day of school, we asked what we should do. Apple Bus told us to wait at the stop. They would send bus 13 back for him once they unloaded the other students. When she arrived to pick him up, she was rude and annoyed with us and the questions we had for her. We asked where she would pick him up and she replied she would not drive by this stop. We should meet her up the hill at Vest and 8th or at Anderson and Mitchell. At the time, I thought I would be able to see Anderson and Mitchell, so we agreed on that location. Patty from Apple Bus called me that day to apologize for the morning we had experienced. She also told me that our driver was “a pill to work with”. She said she would speak to the driver. As 3:45pm approached, I walked down to the corner of Mitchell and Anderson to wait for bus 13. I was told by Patty they would arrive at that stop “just before 4pm”. At 4:30pm I was still waiting (with 2 toddlers) at the busy intersection of Mitchell and Anderson. After many unanswered calls to Apple Bus Co, I walked back to my house to find my door open and my son sitting inside upset because he could not find me. He had been dropped off at 3:50pm according to Kent at Apple Bus Co. My six year old son spent 40 minutes at our home alone while I waited patiently at the bus stop that is not visible from my house. According to Federal Law, child neglect includes “An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm”. I believe that my son could have been in danger being alone in my home & unsure of my whereabouts for 40 minutes. I spoke to Patty again about this situation and she was very apologetic and I was assured she would discuss the issue with the driver and that she would call me back. I did not hear from Patty again.
The second day of school, my son caught the bus right in front of our driveway. I was thrilled to see that Apple Bus had heard my concern and was taking the steps to correct their problems. However, Wednesday evening, my son was dropped at the original bus stop (8th and Anderson). Confused, I called Apple Bus Co. Kent told me there had been a change in the route due to a kindergarten student who needed to be dropped at his driveway on 8th Street. I did not argue but was frustrated that this new student was allowed the stop he requested when we were overlooked because of being one grade higher. Thursday and Friday went smoothly and my son was picked up and dropped off each time at the original stop of 8th and Anderson.
Today, I happened to look out my window about 10 minutes before my son had been arriving home. I noticed a young boy walking in the middle of the road. A double-take led me to believe it could be my son. He was quite far down the street and should not have been off the bus, so I was confused. I ran out to the front lawn and yelled down the street. It was too far for him to hear me, so I ran down 2 houses and got his attention. I asked my son why he was wandering down the middle of the street and he told me the bus driver dropped him off at “a green and yellow house” which neither of us could see from two houses away from our home. We walked home and I called Apple Bus Co immediately. There was no answer. I called a second time and left a straight-to-the-point message that I needed someone to call as soon as possible. I called and discussed this issue with Terri in Ridgeview’s office. I asked to speak with the principal who was busy and was told would return my call. About 20 minutes later, Kent from Apple Bus Co returned my call. I told him my concerns and he agreed it was not responsible behavior and he would talk to the driver. I asked that he call me back and give me the bus driver’s explanation. When Kent called back, he told me “First of all, the driver didn’t know your student got off the bus” To me, that is a safety concern. The driver should be required to have better knowledge of which stop the students should be getting off at and which stops they are getting off at. I explained to Kent that the reason the students wore stickers with their names and addresses on them was so that they would get to the correct bus and off at the correct stop. His response was that I was “overreacting” because I assumed my child was not safe when he was safe while in their care . . . that “it was my child’s choice to get off the bus at an earlier stop”. My son should not have that choice. I do not know the people in this neighborhood well enough, nor does my son for him to be walking around without a parent or supervisor.
I am deeply offended and frustrated with Apple Bus because of the comments Kent issued regarding my concerns. I do not feel as though my son’s safety has been held as a priority by Apple Bus Company. I am concerned that Warrensburg School district has chosen Apple Bus Company to transport our children without mandating that their company uphold the same goals and standards that the school district says they value for themselves and their staff. At this time, I am requesting the school district investigate the safety issues I have addressed and take the time to correct them quickly and accurately so that trust can be rebuilt between my family, other families in the district, the school district and Apple Bus Company.
Sincerely concerned,
Leah C LoChiano
Cited from District Mission and Goal, www.warrensburgr6.org
THE MISSION
OF THE WARRENSBURG R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT IS
TO EDUCATE AND ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS TO BECOME CONFIDENT AND SUCCESSFUL THROUGH HIGH-QUALITY ENGAGED INSTRUCTION IN A RESPECTFUL, NURTURING LEARNING COMMUNITY.
Motto
Believing in everyone; achieving every day
WARRENSBURG R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT GOAL STATEMENTS
I.
Develop and enhance quality educational/instructional programs to improve student performance and enable students to meet their personal, academic and career goals.
II.
Recruit, attract, develop and retain highly qualified staff to carry out the LEA (local educational agency)/District mission, goals, and objectives.
III.
Provide and maintain appropriate instructional resources, support services, and functional and safe facilities.
IV.
Promote, facilitate, and enhance parent, student, and community involvement in LEA/District educational programs.
V.
Govern the LEA/District in an efficient and effective manner providing leadership and representation to benefit the students, staff, and patrons of the district.
WARRENSBURG R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT OBJECTIVES
1. 85% of all students in the Warrensburg School District will perform at or above grade level in literacy and mathematics by the spring of 2014.
2. The Warrensburg School District will eliminate the achievement gap through implementation of programs in each building (PK-12) by the year 2014.
3. By 2014, the Warrensburg R-VI School District will decrease staff turn-over by 2% each year.
4. Fully implement Phase I of district facility plan and establish a plan to implement Phase II by 2012.
5. Increase the percentage of teachers who are highly trained in technology use to 95% by 2014.
6. Increase the technology resources available to staff and students in the district by 2014.
7. By 2014, the Warrensburg R-VI School District will increase parent/community involvement by 10% each year.
8. Maintain current policies and regulations.
9. Board members and district administrators will maintain current understanding of best educational practices and inform staff and patrons.
10. Maintain and improve accountability measures.
Adopted by the Warrensburg R-VI Board of Education December 4, 2008
Cited from US Department of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov
Federal legislation lays the groundwork for States by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that define child abuse and neglect. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), (42 U.S.C.A. §5106g), as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, defines child abuse and neglect as, at minimum:
Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or
An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.
Most Federal and State child protection laws primarily refer to cases of harm to a child caused by parents or other caregivers; they generally do not include harm caused by other people, such as acquaintances or strangers.
Abandonment is now defined in many States as a form of neglect. In general, a child is considered to be abandoned when the parent's identity or whereabouts are unknown, the child has been left alone in circumstances where the child suffers serious harm, or the parent has failed to maintain contact with the child or provide reasonable support for a specified period of time.
