JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Mandarin High School parent is asking Duval County Public Schools for answers after his son’s bus began arriving about 20 minutes earlier than usual this week.
Jameson Simmons said his son was told by students on the bus to arrive early at the bus stop. Simmons said he was concerned that families might not receive the message if a student was absent, missed the bus or did not hear the announcement.
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“We’re still kind of waiting to just have an idea of what’s the actual official story, if there is one,” Simmons said.
Simmons said he contacted the school after learning about the schedule change. He said the principal initially told him the change would take place later in the month.
His son decided to get up early the following morning anyway. Simmons said the bus arrived about 20 minutes earlier than normal.
“It’s been just really hard to get a straight story or even an idea of what is the point of contact for this information,” he said.
Simmons also raised concerns about when students arrived at school. He said parents were told during orientation that students could not be dropped off before 6:30 a.m. because the school did not have staff available to supervise them.
Simmons said his son’s bus arrived about 10 minutes before the school gates opened. He said students were let off the bus and left unsupervised.
“The surprising thing was that they were pushed out the door and the buses left rather than kind of staying until someone could take responsibility for them,” Simmons said.
Simmons said the students are teenagers but still need appropriate supervision.
“You get a group of teenagers unsupervised, and I think we can all imagine various scenarios,” he said.
News4Jax contacted Duval County Public Schools about Simmons’ concerns. A district representative responded Friday evening with a statement:
We understand the frustration and concern caused by the operational and communication errors experienced as the vendor worked to address late arrival times for magnet buses.
We have been in direct contact with the families impacted by this situation to acknowledge and apologize for these errors. We remain committed to reviewing what occurred and determining the best resolution for students and families.
We will continue to communicate any updates directly with those affected as we work through this matter.
Duval County Public Schools
