MacDonald Middle School Parents Say Overcrowded Buses Are a Safety Issue
Parents of MacDonald Middle School students are frustrated with what they describe as overcrowding on school buses. East Lansing Info spoke with five parents who said there are more children riding on the bus than can safely fit in seats, and that the issue extends beyond the new school year
Sara Kalt’s oldest son just graduated from Michigan State University, but she said transportation problems existed when he was a student at MacDonald. Her youngest child is in eighth grade, and the problems persist, she said. However, neither the transportation provider, Dean Transportation, nor the district has taken ownership of the issue when she has reached out.
“There’s this back and forth,” Kalt said. “[ELPS] blames it on Dean. Dean blames it on East Lansing. It’s a chicken [and the] egg situation because [the district] says a lot of parents drive their kids so we don’t need to have the buses. But part of the reason a lot of people cave and drive their kids is because it’s overcrowded.”
Dean Transportation, which has been providing ELPS with busing services since 2012, did not provide comment before the time of publication. ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko declined to comment.
Each parent ELi interviewed raised concerns about overcrowding on the middle school bus. Three students to a seat is expected, but parents said it’s common for that amount to be exceeded and sometimes children even sit in the aisle.
Jaime Malnar said her son was relegated to sitting in the aisle when the seats were too crowded.
“There were several occasions that he had to either sit on — I don’t know what that’s called — that tire bump thing,” she said, “or on the floor. He’d come home dirty, and I’m like, why are you filthy?”
Malnar said the bus would have an influx of passengers when it rained and when after-school sports practices were canceled. There were also occasions when her son was told there was not enough room for him.
There are no federal laws regarding the number of children per school bus seat, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration points to manufacturer guidelines of three “smaller elementary school-age children or two high school-age students” per seat.
Michigan law, however, mandates that a school bus cannot carry more than 100% of its rated seating capacity after the fourth Friday after Labor Day, giving districts some leeway at the beginning of the school year.
An employee of the Michigan Department of Education, Malnar said school buses are not designed for overcrowding. With their high, thick seats, they absorb energy and offer support, rationalizing the fact that buses do not have seat belts.
“If the bus has to come to an abrupt stop, [the seats] stop their bodies,” she said. “I know enough about it to know that it’s not really something you want to mess around with, [but] too many kids in a seat or kids standing or standing in the walkway means they have no protection.”
At least four times last year, Malnar said, her son was left stranded at the school because the bus was overcrowded. Dean Transportation never sent a second bus, she said, and her son would get a ride home with a neighbor or end up walking.
Malnar said she did not want to come across as a complainer, but feels the safety concern is important and that the district is avoiding it.
“There’s just not enough seats for everyone and they’re either counting on sports to reduce that [making students stay late for practice] or they’re counting on parents to get fed up and start picking up their child, which is ultimately what happened last year.”