FOSTORIA School Bus Stop Concerns | Letter to The Editor

FOSTORIA- A Fostoria parent is asking other families to document and report school bus stops they believe are unsafe or poorly maintained after what he describes as a dismissive first response from the district and a missed notification when his children’s stop was moved.

In a letter to the editor, Anthony Dean says his children’s stop was relocated this year to 720 S. Union Street. He called the site unsuitable — broken concrete, animal waste, and surrounding conditions he did not want children waiting in — and said Transportation Director Nicole Lopez told him a change was “probably not going to happen.” Superintendent Jason Longbrake later came to Dean’s home and exchanged emails for about three weeks.

The district later moved the stop to 715 S. Wood Street, Dean writes, but every other student received new bus passes while his children did not. He waited at the old location, the bus never came, and he was late for work. Another parent told him the next morning that the stop had already been changed.

Dean says he has concerns about the new Wood Street location as well, including a registered sex offender living across from it. He is not alleging wrongdoing by that person and is not calling the stop illegal; he says it is a safety factor the district should weigh when children gather to wait for a bus.

He wants the story to stay on bus-stop conditions districtwide rather than on his separate claims about notification and possible retaliation, which he says he may take to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce first. He is asking parents to inspect their stops, take photos, and come forward so the transportation department is pressed to inspect locations proactively instead of waiting for complaints.

Dean also notes public discussion of roughly $11 million in unencumbered general-fund money and questions whether those resources could be used to fix or relocate unsafe stops. He offered photographs of the former Union Street site.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Good Evening ,

I am writing in hopes of shedding some light on an issue I have experienced with the school district’s transportation department as well as the superintendent and, more importantly, to encourage other members of our community to come forward with their own concerns regarding school bus stops.

This school year, my children’s bus stop was relocated to 720 S. Union Street. When I first became aware of the new location, I was extremely concerned about the condition and suitability of the stop. The concrete was in significant disrepair, there was animal waste throughout the area, and the surrounding property presented what I believed to be an unsuitable environment for children waiting for a school bus.

I initially made a formal complaint to Transportation Director Nicole Lopez. Unfortunately, I felt that my concerns were dismissed before I was even given an opportunity to provide my children’s information or fully explain the situation. When I requested that the stop either be returned to its previous location or relocated to a more suitable location, I was told, “That’s probably not going to happen.”

Because I did not feel my concerns were being adequately addressed, I contacted Superintendent Longbrake. To his credit, he came to my home approximately an hour after I contacted him, and we had a productive conversation. Following that meeting, we exchanged several emails over the course of approximately three weeks regarding the bus stop and the transportation department.

During those conversations, Superintendent Longbrake indicated that relocating a bus stop is a complex process. I must have struck a cord when I expressed my disagreement with that characterization and explained that my job is complex , this is not complex. have difficulty understanding why identifying a safe and appropriate location for a bus stop should be such an overwhelming task. I also expressed my personal opinion that certain aspects of the transportation director’s responsibilities could potentially be handled more efficiently through technology, including artificial intelligence, which could potentially reduce costs to taxpayers. I never received another email back after that.

I want to make clear that I was expressing my opinion regarding the position and the efficiency of the department. Regardless of whether school officials agree with my opinion, I believe members of the public should be able to raise concerns and question how taxpayer-funded positions and services are being administered. I also made it clear to the superintendent that I believed Mrs. Lopez’s response to my original complaint was dismissive and inappropriate. In my view, public servants/employees should respond professionally and respectfully to concerns raised by the people they serve.

Fast-forward to last week. The district apparently changed the location of the bus stop. However, every student other than my children was reportedly sent home with new bus passes reflecting the change.

As a result, I continued waiting with my children at 720 S. Union Street because I had received no notification that their stop had been moved. I waited for a bus that never arrived, causing me to be late for work.

The same thing occurred again this morning. While I was waiting at the old location, another parent approached me and informed me that the bus stop had been changed. That parent was surprised that I had not received the new bus passes or otherwise been notified of the change, particularly because other parents had received them.

I had previously encouraged other parents to voice their own concerns about bus stops they believed were unsuitable. Several parents apparently did so, which is why some of them were surprised to see me continuing to wait at the former location.

The new location is reportedly 715 S. Wood Street. I also have concerns about that location and believe there are additional factors that should be considered when selecting an appropriate bus stop. I understand that there is a registered sex offender residing across from that location. I am not making any allegation regarding that individual, nor am I suggesting that their presence alone makes the location unlawful or automatically unsuitable. However, I believe it is a relevant safety consideration that should be evaluated when determining appropriate locations for children to gather and wait for transportation.

At this point, my primary objective is not to focus publicly on my concerns regarding potential retaliation or violations of my 1st amendment rights of free speech and petition by with holding my childrens bus passes in effort to “get back at me ” . I intend to address those concerns separately, including potentially contacting the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and I would like an opportunity to do so before taking that particular matter to the media.

Instead, I would like to focus attention on the broader issue of school bus stop conditions throughout our community.

If you are willing to cover this story, I would like to encourage other parents and community members to inspect the bus stops their children use and bring forward legitimate concerns about locations they believe are unsafe, poorly maintained, or otherwise inappropriate. I would encourage parents to provide photographs and specific information regarding those locations so that the concerns can be documented and brought to public attention when appropriate.

My goal is not simply to have one bus stop moved. I believe the transportation department should be held accountable for ensuring that all bus stops are appropriately selected and maintained and when im done with them , I want her to know what real public servitude looks like . If there are other locations in our community that are unsuitable, I believe they should be identified, inspected, and addressed.

There has also been public discussion regarding approximately $11 million in unencumbered funds reportedly remaining in the district’s general fund. If that figure is accurate, I believe it is reasonable for taxpayers to ask what resources are available to improve conditions affecting our children, including transportation and bus-stop safety. If repairing a particular location is not practical, relocating the stop to a safer and more appropriate location should at least be considered.

I would like to see the transportation department proactively inspect bus-stop locations rather than relying solely on complaints from parents after problems arise. These are taxpayer-funded positions, and I believe the public has a right to expect accountability, responsiveness, and meaningful attention to the safety and well-being of our children.

I will provide photographs of the former 720 S. Union Street bus-stop location for consideration with this story. Although that stop has now been relocated, I believe the photographs help demonstrate the condition that prompted my original complaint.

I also believe it is important to note that when I attempted to contact the superintendent and the administration regarding my concerns, I made approximately five calls throughout the workday without receiving an answer or return call. I ultimately went to the administration office in person with the intention of filing a complaint with Human Resources. Instead, I was directed to the superintendent himself, who was the subject of my complaint. I found that process concerning and believe complaints regarding school administration should have an appropriate avenue for independent review.

I am asking that you consider covering this issue and, if appropriate, encourage other parents to come forward with photographs and documentation of their bus-stop conditions throughout the district. My intention is to bring attention to legitimate concerns. I also want them to feel the burden of having dozens of complaints to accommodate not just my own. I want the district to fulfill its responsibility to provide safe and appropriate transportation arrangements for our children.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like additional information, documentation, or photographs.

Sincerely,

Anthony Dean
419-559-4111