Jefferson City parent hopes to see late school bus issues resolved

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The foster parent of a young Jefferson City student said his foster child was on a school bus for around three hours on Tuesday.

Chad Derstein is the foster dad to a 3-year-old boy with special needs who attends Jefferson City's Southwest Early Childhood Center. After his child's bus arrived late on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, he contacted the district to try to find a solution.

"As a foster parent of children, we take these kids' well-being very, very seriously," Derstein said. "We wanted to make sure that this doesn't happen again not only for him, but for other students that were, I'm sure, affected on that same bus ride home."

He said his foster son gets dropped off after school at daycare in Holts Summit. On Monday, the daycare contacted the Dersteins asking if they had the child because he still wasn't back from school.

Then on Tuesday, Derstein said his child wasn't dropped off until around 5:15 p.m. after getting out of school at 2:15 p.m.

"He had ridden the bus for just over three hours on the way home," Derstein said. "As a 3-year-old, that's just too long."

Jefferson City School District spokesman Ryan Burns said in a statement the early childhood special education bus is a specialized route that goes throughout the entire district. She confirmed there was a delay with one of the buses, saying it lasted 90-120 minutes on Tuesday.

"We did have a delay with an early childhood bus on the second day of school which unfortunately resulted in a 90-120 minute delay for several students," Burns said. "The bus company is working diligently to ensure this delay does not happen again. 

Derstein said upon reaching out to the district about his concerns, he got a prompt reply from Student Transportation of America, the bus company contracted with Jefferson City Schools.

The solution, Derstein said, is that his child will be put on a separate bus with a dispatcher and monitor with no other children to ensure the hours-long bus ride doesn't happen again.

He said his child was home in about 12 minutes on Wednesday, compared to three hours on Tuesday.

"I guess it's OK if that's viable for (the transportation company), but I don't see how that's a very viable solution long term, so I'm really curious to see how it plays out," Derstein said.

This is the Jefferson City School District's first year contracting with Student Transportation of America after previously working with First Student.

Burns said the majority of the district's bus routes have been running on time this week, but they do understand the delays can be frustrating for families.

"Transportation delays are to be expected while drivers, students, and staff adjust to new routines, and this year has been no different, especially as we transition to a new transportation provider," Burns said. "Most issues are typically resolved within the first few weeks of school, as we identify what changes and adjustments are needed."

Derstein said he was surprised with how quickly his issue was resolved and how professionally it was handled. He is hopeful his family won't experience any bus issues from here on out.

"I do realize that there is a new company, it's a brand new school year, there's going to be wrinkles that need to be ironed out," Derstein said. "I just hope that they are (ironed out) quickly."

Burns said any parents who have concerns about their child's transportation should contact STA directly.