Roanoke, Virginia – Ongoing bus delays in the Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) district are garnering attention, as parents voice their growing concerns.
At the RCPS school board meeting on Tuesday evening, numerous parents discussed the negative repercussions of these delays on students’ educational experience. In response, Chris Perkins, the district’s Chief Operations Officer, offered updates regarding measures being taken to enhance the bus system.
Currently, from the 375 established routes, 20 buses have a latency exceeding 15 minutes. To combat this, school officials are contemplating splitting and reconfiguring routes in alignment with city layout.
The consensus between parents and the school board is clear: the situation demands immediate rectification.
RCPS representative Michelle Clements emphasized, ”We have to get these kids to school. All I ask is that you lead and lead publicly and be transparent in these meetings, use these meetings to talk to us.”
Perkins also made an appeal to families: “We need the cooperation of our families. Our walking zones are a quarter mile for elementary and six-tenths of a mile for secondary. We need our families to understand that we must abide by these walking zones and cannot continue to make every exception.”
Furthermore, it was revealed during the same meeting that RCPS has enlisted a consultant to assist in optimizing bus routes.
