Schools

First Student: Be Prepared to Drive Kids to School Today

Fallen trees and sagging power lines may leave many district homes inaccessible to school buses this morning.

East Penn School District is back in session today, but parents shouldn't be too surprised if they wind up driving their kids to school because the school bus fails to show up at their child's regular bus stop, according to Don Swift, area general manager with First Student, the bus company that provides bus service to East Penn School District.

Regular East Penn bus routes are being used this morning, but many parents questioned how this would be possible, since a number of district streets have been closed since Tuesday morning in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In fact, several district streets were still crossed by large trees precariously suspended from sagging power lines as darkness fell Thursday night.

Swift’s advice to families whose normal bus stops can’t be reached by buses this morning? Take the kids to the nearest accessible street corner or intersection. “Until we can get down the streets, we will try to accommodate everyone’s needs the best we can,” he said.

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According to Swift, First Student works in tandem with East Penn School District to make determinations about when to call for emergency bus routes, and First Student drivers had been out all day Thursday driving their routes to get a feel for what they would be in store for Friday morning.

Swift said that parents who have a concern about a particular bus stop or roadway should contact their schools and that parents are really in the best position to make the district and First Student aware of potential problems.

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Swift also did not rule out that emergency bus stops and routes could be instituted “on the fly” as the morning progresses. Ultimately, he said, some parents might wind up having to drive their children to school today.

“Our bus drivers will do they best they can to maintain the safety of the children,” Swift said. “We will probably not be able to serve every single student, but we will do the best we can.”


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