BRENHAM ISD PARENTS COMPLAINING BUSES DROPPING OFF STUDENTS LATE

  

Numerous Brenham ISD parents are complaining that students are getting home late from school due to long-running school buses.

Parents have taken to social media to voice their complaints, with some saying that “doubled up” buses have lengthened their children’s time on a school bus. A few parents are reporting their children aren’t coming home until after 6 p.m. in the evening.

However, Omiyon Toran, General Manager of Durham School Services, who operates bus services for Brenham ISD, said no children are getting home that late unless they are participating in after-school activities.

 

According to Durham, the earliest pickup time for students in the morning is 5:40 a.m., and the latest drop-off in the afternoon is 4:45 p.m. However, times can vary due to traffic and the train schedule.  Durham advises parents to have their kids out and waiting a minimum of five minutes before their scheduled pickup time.

Toran described the “doubling up” of bus routes as one driver handling two routes in the same general area, due to if a bus driver calls in sick, or if there is a lack of drivers. He said the latter is the case for many school districts, including Brenham ISD.

 

Durham said when doubling up is required, it still hits the scheduled times for drop-off and pickup for each route “about 80 percent of the time”.

Toran said Durham currently has 39 routes covering Brenham ISD. He said the buses, which have a 78-passenger capacity, typically have 45 to 50 students on board, depending on the route.

Assistant Superintendent Paul Aschenbeck added separately that athletic trips do not affect the district’s school-to-home routes, as its coaches have their Commercial Drivers Licenses and drive the athletes to their events.

Aschenbeck said the school district works closely with Durham to monitor transportation services, and that the two will continue efforts to recruit new drivers to provide the best services possible.