Frank V. Alexander Jr.: A long bus ride

For the past month, my Wake County fifth-grade sons have struggled to cope with a drastic change in their morning schedule: Their bus arrives 45 minutes earlier than before. It now takes over an hour and a half to get to their school, which is 20 minutes away by car.

Not surprisingly, the sound level during this epic ride irritates the bus driver, and she yells at them, which in turn makes them get upset with her and round and round it goes, tensions mounting every day. There is nothing wrong with the bus driver, the kids or the parents. The situation is a pressure-cooker ready to explode.

Does anyone know exactly what WCPSS is doing to address this problem? We are supportive of our school administration, but apparently it is being left in the dark as well.

I don’t know the numbers, but this is a huge school district, so the bus situation affects many, many people. I would like to know how it is affecting others. Perhaps together we can find a better way.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Frank V. Alexander Jr.: A long bus ride."