Additional routes this year may be part of the problem, some suspect.
Parents say their kids were forced to squat in the aisle or sit on the floor of overcrowded buses the first week of school in Deptford Township, a problem they believe was likely created by the district taking on too many new routes.
Residents voiced their concerns at a recent school board meeting about busing issues that have popped up this school year, including kids having to walk over a mile to their bus stop, and drastically early morning pick-up times.
The district previously paid a private company to bus students to the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT), but has brought the busing in-house this year to reduce expenses.
Christina Gullifer's 13-year-old daughter, who is an eighth-grader at Monongahela Middle School, said some students were sitting on the floor because the bus was overcrowded, Gullifer said.
"She came home yesterday and said the bus is really crowded this year and that people were sitting on the floor because it is so crowded," Gullifer said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. "I thought it was just her bus and maybe it was just the one day where it was a problem. I see a lot of parents seem to have had the same complaints."
Jenelle Marshall was also concerned about the circumstances surrounding the district's current transportation plans, saying her 13-year-old son who also attends Monongahela Middle School described a similar incident.
"My son came home from school and said 'Mom, kids are squatting on the bus," Marshall said. "I asked if the kids were not moving over and he said 'No mom, she made sure there were three kids to each seat, and she made sure kids were not allowing other kids from sitting in areas, so some kids began squatting on the floor."
Marshall said her son told her it also happened the following day.
"I feel like there should be something to ease the parents' frustrations," Marshall added. "At the end of the day, it's a liability having kids squatting on the bus. For the safety of the children, the bus really shouldn't even move."
Deptford Township School District superintendent Arthur Dietz said the full-size buses the district uses holds 54 students and each student is directed to fill in all seats by the bus drivers and bus aides.
"For every single transportation route, there is a seat for each student rider," Dietz said. "At no time should any student be seated on the floor as this is an obvious safety concern; all students should be seated at all times with their seat belts on. Our students' safety is paramount, and we always plan everything we do with this in mind."
District officials did not return repeated requests to clarify whether the situation had been rectified.
Dietz said the responsibility of several of the bus routes, such as the one that takes students to Gloucester County Institute of Technology, was returned to the school district, a decision he says that was best for the students.
Deptford Board of Education president Susan David-Kryszczak says that she is welcoming feedback from the community.
"I understand their concerns," David-Kryszczak said. "We are looking at them on a case-by-case basis, and we will take everything into consideration. It is a work in progress."
A transportation committee for community members has been formed, for residents to "share their thoughts and work collaboratively to resolve any potential future issues," Dietz stated.
"If anyone would like to be a member of that committee, we ask that they, please e-mail our Coordinator of Planning, Mr. Lou Randazzo, at Randazzo.L@deptford.k12.nj.us."
Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
