CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Nearly two months after reports of Cosby High School students sitting on the floor while riding the bus due to overcrowding, a parent at another Chesterfield County school is speaking out.
Clover Hill High School parent Charlotte Carter reached out to 8News after seeing more than 40 students crammed on a Cosby High School bus back in August. Earlier this month, Carter saw a similar sight on her son’s school bus.
“It had seemed like they were promising to address the issue,” said Carter. “So, I was even more disappointed to find out that months have gone by, and the issue still remains.”
After reports of overcrowding on Cosby High School buses, a spokesperson from Chesterfield County Public Schools provided the following statement to 8News:
“The safety and security of our students is a top priority and at the beginning of each school year we will make adjustments to routes as needed and as quickly as possible. These decisions take into account the effect that [changing] one route [has] on other routes.”
According the Virginia Department of Education, a conventional school bus should hold no more than 30 students. Chesterfield’s transportation policy requires students to remain in their assigned seat, but when there is no room, Carter says the safety of students could be at risk.
“You go from from a bus that’s built to withstand an accident and have minor, if [any], injuries to overcrowding, where a minor accident could cause the death of our children,” said Carter.
“We are constantly assessing and making changes to our 2,500 daily routes to enhance on-time performance and relieve any overcrowding,” said a Chesterfield County Schools spokesperson.
