DUVAL COUNTY, Fla — Students in Duval County are currently dealing with overcrowding on their school bus, as video shared with First Coast News Thursday shows a few either standing or sitting in the aisle while the bus is in motion.
A mother of one of the students aboard the bus told First Coast News it takes an hour and a half for her son and niece also aboard the bus, to get to school.
In the video, the students sitting in the aisle appear to be blocking the emergency exit in the back of the bus.
Roughly 47,000 students are brought to and from school on nearly 900 buses across Duval County, but the family of one student in the school district says the way their child has to ride the bus is unacceptable.
"Why was this going on, why were we having kids standing up on a bus, why were we having kids sitting down on a bus, who allowed this, who signed off on this?" asked Jeff Loiseau, who is the uncle of one of the kids in the video on the bus full of high school students from Stanton College Prep. "It's not about packing as many kids as you can on a bus, it's about safety."
According to the school district (Duval County Public School's website) about school bus rules and behavior, students are expected to keep the aisle clear at all times. Loiseau said the video shows a clear violation of safety protocols. A complete list of rules and frequently asked questions related to bus transportation within DCPS can be found on their website.
"We want to get out ahead of this before something bad happens," said Loiseau, "this is not ok, this is not fine. You wouldn't want your kids in a car without a seat belt on, why would you want your kids to go on a school bus with no safety at all sitting on the floor?"
As far as overcrowding is concerned, the school district's website also says students are required to register for a specific bus and scan their student ID badge when boarding and disembarking from it.
"There's no reason for kids to be on the bus if they don't have a seat that they can sit in safely," Loiseau said. "How can we logistically figure this out so the kids are not the ones suffering because of this?"
First Coast News reached out to the provider of the bus route for comment about this video, but are still waiting for a response. DCPS said the bus for this route is a 77-passenger bus. However, fewer than that amount of students are registered for the bus.
Furthermore, prior to Thursday, that bus served multiple routes, but the school district says those routes have since been separated.
DCPS said it is reviewing the video to determine if there is an issue of unregistered riders on the bus. If that is the case, the district said it will take appropriate action.
There is a program through the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) that allows middle and high school students in Duval County to ride their buses for free seven days a week with a valid school ID. A link to the My Ride 2 School program can be found here.