JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Less than two weeks into the school year and already some parents of students in Duval County are sounding the alarm about safety concerns for their children.
Thursday morning First Coast News was sent a video of a school bus so overcrowded that some students were forced to stand in the aisle while others had to sit on the floor.
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 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 of an overcrowded bus full of high school students from Stanton College Prep.
"As a family member you send your kids off to school and you entrust in the local school system to take them to school safely, bring them back safely," said Loiseau.
In the video, some students can be seen standing in the aisle, sitting three students to a seat and even relegated to sitting on the ground because the bus is so crowded.
"It's not about packing as many kids as you can on a bus, it's about safety," said Loiseau.
According to the district'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 district website also says students are required to register for a specific bus and scan their student ID badge when boarding and disembarking the bus.
"There's no reason for kids to be on the bus if they don't have a seat that they can sit in safely," said Loiseau, "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. The district said that 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 district says those routes have since been separated.
The district said they are reviewing the video to determine if there is an issue of unregistered riders on the bus. If that is the case the district said they will take appropriate action.
There is a program through JTA that allows middle and high school students in Duval County to ride their busses for free seven days a week with a valid school ID. A link to the My Ride 2 School program can be found here.