Some Houston ISD parents say they’re struggling to get answers from the district about school bus stop issues.
HOUSTON — The first day of school for the largest district in Texas included roadblocks for some students and parents.
One Houston ISD mom said she’s been calling the district since Friday because her child’s bus stop is so far away.
Shunneisha Pierre says her daughter attends Black Middle School’s magnet vanguard program. Students are provided transportation since the program isn’t offered at their neighborhood school.
Last year, the girl’s bus stop was just one street over, but now it’s 15 miles away, according to Pierre.
She said her calls to the district have been met with hostility and wrong information.
Pierre is driving her daughter to school for now, but as a working mom, that’s not sustainable.
She’s worried that she might have to pull her from the magnet program.
“The heartbreak that I’m feeling and having to possibly take her out of this program, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Pierre told KHOU 11. “Parents want the best for their children and they want to see them succeed, and I feel like it would almost be a setback.”
Pierre said they’re both trying to make the best of it.
“She’s trying to soldier through, and that’s just her spirit,” she said. “I’m really proud of her.”
Bus stop on Beltway 8
On Monday, we spoke with another HISD mom who complained that her son’s school bus route is right in the middle of the Sam Houston Parkway, one of Houston’s busiest freeways.
Brianna Van Borssum said she just got another text from the district on Monday.
“Right about here is where HISD has told me my son will be picked up for his bus route starting tomorrow at 7:10,” Van Borssum told KHOU 11. “The pin literally drops you in the middle of the Beltway.”
Google Maps shows the location is in the main lanes, while Apple Maps shows the address along the busy feeder.
“I’m assuming it has to be an error, but that makes me even more mad. We’re at the day before school starts,” Van Borssum said.
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles briefly addressed questions about the routes during a news conference.
“Getting in route requests today and for the next week, so it’ll take a while for the dust to settle,” Miles said. “We wanted to decrease the amount of routes, but we actually increased the number of routes from 450 to over 500.”
HISD’s response
HISD won’t address specific questions about these two complaints. Instead, they sent us the following statement:
“HISD’s policy is that zoned students will receive a stop within 2 miles of their home, and magnet students will receive a stop within 3 miles of their home. A small number of students with unique circumstances have a bus stop that is further than 3 miles from their home. These students would otherwise have a ride time of more than 90 minutes each way if assigned to a bus route closer to their home.
Bus routes change at the start of each school year. We understand that some parents may experience a change in stop location or distance from what they are accustomed to. These changes will enable the district to provide more efficient and reliable service to students. We encourage families to review the walk distance and path from their home to the bus stop to determine whether their student should walk or ride in a car to the stop. Any family with a specific safety concern should contact the district at transportation@houstonisd.org”