Rural families feel left behind by Hamilton school busing plans

Hannah McDonald doesn't know how she'll focus at school sitting in a gym full of other kids trying to learn and she doesn't like the idea of being around too many students for too long.

That problem, the Grade 9 student atWaterdown District High School says, could be solved if she was able to go home after her first period of in-person learning but it's not an option for her.

She'll have to stay at school and learn remotely while students who live closer to class or public transit can leave. That's because the school board isunable to offer mid-day busing home for rural students, citing a lack of money and a shortage of drivers.

"We're unnecessarily being exposed, which is defeating the whole purpose of what we're trying to do," Hannah said as she stood next to her father, Chris, in front of their home in rural Hamilton.

With school 12 kilometres away and no city buses around, Hannah is one of many students whorely on school buses.

Local school boards are only offering busing at the start and end of the school day.

Without an option to leave after first period, multiple families in the area told CBCthey feel the boards areleaving them with few choices, most of whichcreate more hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multiple reasons for no mid-day busing

Shawn McKillop, aHamilton-Wentworth District School Board spokesperson, told CBC there are a number of reasons why mid-day busing isn't an option. He citedsafety, minimizing disruptions and being careful with spending.

When questioned about the issue, HWDSB director of education Manny Figueiredo listed some of the local busing issues the area historically faces.

"We know each year in transportation, one of the things is to deliver on our promise that we provide transportation at the end of the day and the beginning of the day and every year we head into September, we're challenged with 20 to 25 routes short," he explained.

The board recently received$400,693 from the province to help with student transportation and is still trying to decide how it will spend the money, but was hoping for more.

"This is an issue that I have been personally raising with the Ministry [of Education]since July," board chair Alex Johnstone told media on Tuesday.

She has expressed concerns about overcrowding on buses this year.

Hamilton parents are 'scrambling'

JeffKolbasnikdoesn't think bus driver shortages explains why the board can't offer busing after the blockof in-person learning instead of having students stay in a study hall to learn remotely.

There's even an online petition pleading for mid-day busingthat has more than 1,000 signatures.

McKillop noted it would cost roughly$2.5 million to replace end of day bus runs with mid-day trips because the board would need to add 125 trips.

Kenlyn Hughson, another parent who lives in the area with two kids attendingWaterdown High School, told CBC she worries staying at school longer than needed will be a burden on students' mental health and learning.

"That is my number one concern ... them being clustered in a school for six hours a day wearing a mask trying to learn for six hours a day is just mind-boggling to me," she explained.

But McKillopsaid the study hall option which puts high school students who can't leave after in-person class inlarger spaces like gyms and libraries for remote learning adheres to the province'scohorting expectations of roughly100 direct and indirect contacts in schools.

Kolbasnik says his only options to get his daughterSarah home mid-day is toorganize a carpool with other families or ask her grandparents to drive her. He thinks both choices are unsafe and that the burden should be on the school, not him and other families.

"Right now as parents, we're scrambling," he said.

"It's the absolute responsibility of the school board, it's not some added benefit they can or can't provide and it doesn't seem to be the way they're treating it. The inequity it develops for those who are outside reasonable walking distance is inappropriate."

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