Princeton Public Schools Leader Issues Statement About Early Dismissal Bus Issues

school-bus-snowSome parents of students who attend Princeton Public Schools complained that the communication was horrible today between schools and parents regarding early dismissal and bus delays. Princeton School Board President Tim Quinn issued the following statement tonight regarding the bus issues:

“We regret the inconvenience and anxiety caused by transportation delays during this afternoon’s early dismissal. District personnel were hampered by a number of factors. 1) The snow started a few hours earlier than was predicted. 2) Every school and district in the area called an early dismissal. Consequently, some contracted buses were still finishing up routes in one district before coming to ours. 3) Many of the major businesses in the area closed early, causing major congestion on the roads and slowing our ability to get students home sooner.

Please realize that the district provides transportation to students attending 45 schools. In addition to our six schools, we transport students to 39 other schools, including charter schools, independent schools and schools for students with special needs. Coordinating all of those routes with changing schedules and changing weather conditions is not easy. While there were unavoidable delays today, the board is proud of the work of the district’s transportation department and of our building principals, who stayed in their schools until each child was picked up. Mr. Cochrane will be sharing additional information later this evening or tomorrow on princetonk12.org.

We will update everyone as soon as we know how the weather will affect tomorrow’s school day. Thank you for your patience.”

As of 8 p.m., district officials had not announced whether school would be in session Wednesday. Check back for updates.