Saddle River parents want canceled bus route restored, file complaints with the state

SADDLE RIVER — The wheels on the bus may go round and round, but apparently not all through the town.

At least five parents have filed complaints with the state Department of Education accusing the Board of Education of discriminatory practices for eliminating one of two bus routes transporting sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to and from Eric Smith Middle School in Ramsey.

The middle school in Ramsey is 5.7 miles from Wandell Elementary School in Saddle River. The two districts have a send/receive agreement for students from the sixth through 12th grades.

Parents say the 3ESS West route, which is used by the children of school board trustees Evelyn Nissirios and Yasmin Elshami, was retained in full, with 42 children being picked up and dropped off along a 20-stop route near their homes. But the 4ESS East route, of 18 stops for 28 children, was at first fully eliminated for alleged budgetary reasons. Initially, those parents were required to drop off and pick up their students from Wandell Elementary School, where their bus made one stop.

After parent complaints, the 4ESS morning route was restored on Aug. 29 in time for the start of school. However, parents must still pick up their children at Wandell School at 3:15 p.m., a major inconvenience, they said, for those who work outside the home.

"The decision to consolidate the 4ESS bus route with a drop-off and pickup at Wandell School is unfair to those working parents on the east side of Saddle River," parent Angela Viggiano said in her complaint. "All students should be provided with equal and fair bus services."

No warning

Parents say they were first notified of the route change in letters sent by interim Business Administrator Eulalia Gillis on June 15 and 16.

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In the June 15 letter, Gillis wrote that "the board discussed these concerns at the April 27, May 11 and June 8 public meetings." However, the district website has not posted agendas since Oct. 10, 2017. The minutes for those meetings only mention "transportation" under committee reports, with no specific discussion of a change in bus routes, the complaints stated.

Gillis said the board was advised in April that "the typical bus company our vendor works with would not be renewing bids on any of their routes" due to COVID-related cost increases and driver staffing problems.

"Route consolidation was suggested as an option to have an appealing bid that would guarantee a bus route for our students," Gillis said. "The 4ESS route was the only one to qualify to have the route consolidated. The location of the students' homes on the 3ESS route does not provide enough proximity to a centralized, safe, singular bus stop location."

The June 16 letter blamed the consolidation on a "massive increase in transportation costs" variously described in the letter as up 30% or 40%. No total cost or per diem rate was given.

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Still, the parents want the 4ESS afternoon route restored.

"Last year when the 3ESS route did not have an afternoon bus, [board Secretary] Kaitlyn Lawler was credited with working hard to find a luxury coach for $66,000 in just a few days," said parent Erin Chung. "Now that the 4ESS has no afternoon stops, why are we not being given the same consideration?"

Chung's husband, Phillip Evanski, filed one of the complaints. It charges that the board is justifying the move by contending that "all the families on the 4ESS bus route are less than 2 miles from Wandell" Elementary School and therefore should walk to the central pickup site.

"This is not true," Evanski alleges in his complaint. "There are multiple families who live more than 2 miles from Wandell. And 13 of the 3ESS stops are closer than 1.5 miles from Wandell, so why shouldn't they walk as well?"

The complaints argue that the absence of sidewalks throughout the borough makes it impossible for any student to walk safely to school and that buses are required by state mandate to transport grade school children beyond the 2-mile limit.

School Superintendent Gina Cinotti and board President John Peros did not respond to repeated requests for clarification and comment.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Saddle River canceled school bus route discrimination complaint filed