Winsted BOE hears bus driver issues

The Board of Education held a Transportation and Safety Committee Wedneday night at the Town Hall to addresss some grievances of bus drivers for the town's schools.

Four bus drivers met with Board of Education members Lynn Brewer and Nancy Cannavo, the Superintendent of Schools Judith Palmer, the Finance Director for the Board of Education James Gaskins and Laidlaw Terminal Manager Jodi Audia to discuss various issues that have arisen over the years.

The bus drivers complained that the special education buses have been a problem for four year. Bob Keleher, who has been driving buses for 15 years, said that it can be over 90 degrees inside the bus while it is just 77 degrees outside. He also said that on average the first child to be picked in a day (in the afternoon, at the school) rode the bus for almost an hour and twenty minutes, forcing him or her to sit and swelter in the heat.

The drivers also were concerned about the number of children riding on the buses,because with three to a seat, the children often had their legs and arms sticking into the center aisle, which is only 12 inches wide. They said that up to 72 children can ride on each bus, causing a great deal of crowding.

The drivers said that crowding is especially problematic for because if a state inspector were to pull them over, the driver could be charged for the offense.

Any solutions to these problems, buying air conditioning systems for the buses and using more buses to alleviate the overcrowding problem, would oblviously cost the town money.

Wednesday's meeting was the fourth time that the Board of Education has met with the drivers, but the first time that Palmer,Gaskins and Audia had met with them.

While nothing was decided in the meeting about how the situations would be handled, the meeting represented a cordial dialogue between all of the sides involved. Karen Meagher, one of the bus drivers, closed the meeting by thanking the Town's representatives and the Laidlaw Manager for speaking with them, saying that communication had been a big problem for them in the past.

Other issues covered in the meeting included whether to make the street in front of St. Anthony's one-way, the problem of disciplinary policy for children on the buses, and the Town's imclement weather policy.