Parents and school leaders met at Oxon Hill High School on Thursday, Aug. 15 to learn how Prince George’s County Public Schools’ new bus routes will make transportation more reliable.
The changes come as an effort to fix major problems with school bus transportation, which have existed in the county for years. In the past, students have reported long wait times at bus stops with some buses not showing up at all.
“I had in the past where instruction is lost because the bus comes late or doesn’t come at all,” Cassandra Griffin, a Prince George's County Public Schools parent, said.
At the meeting, parents expressed their experience with unreliable service and long rides to school. One parent brought up that there are "no sidewalks."
School leaders have been working to make bus routes more efficient by combining routes and adjusting walk zones.
“So we are asking students to walk a little further but we’re also taking precautions with our elementary students,” Keba Baldwin, the PGCPS transportation director, said. "If there's opportunities to minimize their walk distance, we are doing that where appropriate.”
School leaders have pushed back school start times for some schools because of the bus route changes. The start times are roughly a 15-minute difference.
Parents are encouraged to sign up for the online information portal ParentVue, activate the school bus finder app StopFinder and set up notifications to be alerted when the bus picks up and drops off their child.
During this transition period, officials are asking for patience and grace from parents.
Check the Prince George's County Public Schools website to learn more about the transportation changes and how they might affect your child’s first day of school.
