Parents of Special Needs Students Frustrated over Bus Issues

Parents who waited more than three hours to testify at a hearing with the DOE never got the chance

City Council members grilled representatives from the Department of Education Tuesday to try and get to the bottom of why special needs students who ride school buses are being dropped off late to and from school.

But parents who waited more than three hours to testify at the hearing never got the chance. DOE representatives and several elected officials left before they could speak.

"I'm utterly frustrated," said Loren Lockwood, whose 7-year-old autistic daughter has had issues with the school buses. "Now where do I go?" 
 
Alex De Jesus took half a day off of work to explain the difficulty his 3-year-old child with special needs is having because of school bus problems.

"My child cannot speak and I'm his voice today and for it not to be heard it's very frustrating," De Jesus said.

Before they left, the DOE did say they had already removed one of the bus companies hired to bus special needs students and that they were continuing to seek resolutions to the problem.

The DOE also said that parents with any city school bus complaints or concerns could call a special hotline at 718-392-8855. 

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