DAYTON — Parents want changes when it comes to their children’s school transportation.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Dayton Public Schools (DPS) hosted a community forum for parents to discuss their plan to improve transportation Wednesday evening.
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Parents told News Center 7 that they are not happy that some DPS students are riding RTA buses instead of yellow school buses.
This comes weeks after a Dunbar High School student, Alfred Hale, was shot and killed near the RTA Hub in downtown Dayton.
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DPS Business Manager Marvin Jones said the problems impacting students getting to and from school are much bigger than the district.
“We have a lot of concerned community members and they’re screaming for collaboration. We’re not pointing fingers at anyone. We want results. We want things to improve,” Jones said.
Penny Brown has grandchildren in DPS. She attended the meeting to figure out what’s next.
“This is a community problem. This is a RTA, Dayton Public Schools and City of Dayton problem and the only people here tonight, were Dayton Public Schools. And thats a problem for me,” Brown said.
Dayton Public Schools started using RTA buses in 2022.
City leaders said they spoke with Greater Dayton RTA and the school district about keeping school kids out of downtown altogether.
“You know, at the end of the day, we’re going to do this right,” Jones said.
Jones had parents and guardians in attendance fill out a survey about what they want for the district’s transportation.
Some people think the students need more guidance, while others suggest that parent advocates could help.
“Hey, I see such and such arguing, let’s pull them in and have a talk,” one parent said during the meeting.
Other parents said they want better communication from the district when there are changes to bus routes or drivers.
“So you can automate, you know, a little chatbot to notify parents about the bus being late instead of an actual person having to make the calls. We have roughly 6-7 people that make those types of calls,” Jones said.
Jones said the survey will be posted on social media for any parents and guardians who were unable to attend.
The transportation department is holding another community meeting on Thursday night.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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