CANFIELD SCHOOLS Forum set to hear bus ideas

Parents express the same concerns about the schedule.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The board of education has heard parents describe their problems with the district's school bus schedule. Now it wants to make sure they have the opportunity to suggest a solution.
The board will conduct a public forum tonight at 6.
Some parents have complained that their children are being forced to wake up, eat lunch, and come home earlier than they should because of the bus schedule.
Buses pick up some middle school pupils at 6:35 a.m., and school starts at 7:25.
Some parents feel their children are not getting enough sleep, while others are concerned that latchkey kids who get home at 2:30 p.m. spend too much time unsupervised in the afternoon.
Input requested: Superintendent Douglas Hiscox said most of the parents express similar concerns. "We know what the concerns are, we're looking for solutions," he said.
The bus schedule is created to take into account the schedules of parochial schools and after-school programs. In addition, efforts to change the schedule are hampered by the limited number of buses.
Hiscox said some parents have suggested making the school day later or rearranging the pickup schedule.
He said the district is beginning to work with new computer software that will determine how buses can be used more efficiently.
The superintendent also noted that each solution has its problems. "Nothing we're going to do is going to satisfy everybody," he said.
Hiscox said that the board is expected to make a final decision on the bus schedule in June.