CHINA SPRING, Texas — Parents of China Spring ISD bus riders have had to get on board with the districts new bus stop policy.
China Spring ISD says the policy comes with the districts growth and their need of bus drivers.
“We don’t have enough bus drivers to accomplish the door-to-door operation,” said China Spring Superintendent, Marc Faulkner.
“We transport about 15 to 1,600 kids home — which is over half of our district."
Faulkner says the school has grown so much that they had to incorporate community bus stops in high populated areas.
That means instead of getting dropped off at their front doors, they drop students off at a spot that could be about 10 to 12 homes down.
“The bus isn’t a privilege. I need him to get dropped off at our house because I have a job,” said China Spring ISD parent, Kylah Garretson.
Garretson is the mother of a second grader. She says her son got dropped off at the wrong spot three times within the first week of school.
“They’re saying, 'Oh it has to be a legal guardian,' but you all just let him get off with some older kid that said, 'Oh, I'll drive him,' or 'I'll walk him up to the house if his parent doesn’t show up,' — that just seems very ironic to me," she said.
The policy also asks parents to be at the designated spot for drop off. Although Garretson understands that rule is for student safety, she says this makes it tough for working parents.
“It’s also not convenient if you all are going to sit here and require working parents to be at this bus stop by 4:15, 4:30 — we have jobs," she said.
Garrestson says since the first week, she decided to have her son dropped off at their grandmothers home.
Faulker says bigger districts use the same policy, and as China Spring ISD grows, they need more bus drivers to accommodate the stops they make.
“I drive a route every morning and every afternoon," Faulkner said.
"My deputy superintendent drives around every morning and afternoon, and our other high level administrator staff does the same.”
You can find an application to be a bus driver on the district's website here.
