For me, right now that is, it's the school district, and the local bus company that they have a contract with.
Here's why.
Today a group of the high school girls had the opportunity to visit a shop that gives away prom dresses. The school arranged for them to go, submitted the request for a bus, and told the girls they were leaving at 5:30am. With a group of around 25 girls, it's gonna take a whole entire day to try on and pick out the best dress.
So I drive my daughter and three of her friends to the school at 5:15am, and sit and wait for them to board the bus so I could go home... 5:30 comes and goes and no bus. One of the teacher chaperones started looking for the number of the bus barn to find out what was going on. Meanwhile, the group of girls are freezing. I mean, It's the butt crack of dawn and most of them are still waking up! It's COLD outside at that time of the morning. Anyway, the teacher can't get a hold of anyone at the bus barn. She finally get's a hold of the school secretary who in turn tried to get a hold of them as well. Nothing.
And this whole time span, of around an hour of back and forth phone calls, the girls are STILL outside, freezing. The teacher that was there didn't have access to the school for them to go inside and stay warm or even use the bathroom. WTH?
FINALLY, an hour and half later, the school secretary and the teacher decided that the bus was never going to show up. So the alternative was to use the small district buses. One slight problem though. Only one certified driver was available and there were too many girls to fit legally onto that one small bus. Thankfully a mom volunteered to drive a few girls in her van.
Little more than TWO HOURS later, they were finally off!
So, apparently this isn't the first school event this year the bus company has forgotten about. They've forgotten a couple sports teams as well this year. I say three times is three times too many!! I was also told that the company is going through major restructuring and has been going through new drivers like a box of kleenex. Not good.
And the teacher that didn't have access to the school to let the girls in this morning while they were waiting? She had been previously stripped of front door privileges a few months back for something that she wasn't responsible for. So, the school should have had another teacher available to let the kids in to stay warm. OR they could just have allowed this teacher full access again!
I'm definitely going to write a strongly worded letter to the school principal and superintendent, as well as the bus company.
What's been your beef lately?
