Continued problems with student transportation and busing has forced the Butler Area School District to delay the start of the school year.
The district was supposed to start a new year Thursday, but will now welcome students back on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Superintendent Brian White said the decision to delay came Wednesday as the district continued to deal with massive software problems that led to parents either being unable to access student bus information, or it was accessible, but wrong.
“(On Wednesday), we had additional technology issues that have compounded our problems with transportation. The transportation software failed again, leaving us without access for a period of time. Once we regained access, we began checking to determine if any data had been lost. At this point, it seems that the data was retained. However, we lost time — not only while the software was unavailable, but also while our staff members had to recheck what was previously done. To further complicate the situation, the Tyler Student Information System is not displaying transportation information for all students,” White said in a letter to parents.
White said the safety and well-being of students will always be top priority, and it was decided delaying and starting school next week would allow for a safer start. It will also allow bus drivers to do a “practice” run of each route to check for hazards.
“To start school safely and successfully, we must have clarity in bus stops and in bus routes,” White said. “At this point, my assessment of transportation is that we are not prepared to start school tomorrow and ensure the safety of our students. I know this a disappointment and a hardship to many of our families. I offer my most sincere apology.”
I appreciate the efforts of many staff members who have volunteered to work additional hours, some through the night. Those efforts will continue in the following days and through this weekend.
The district will revise the school calendar to make up for the two missed school days.
“While the software issues have been significant, I also believe there are things that we could have done as school district to put ourselves in a better position to respond and operate,” he said. “As I mentioned in my previous email, I intend to review our operations and make changes for the future.”
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