School Bus Review: Parent Inclusion - Question Period
MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.
EECD: SCHOOL BUS REV. - PARENT INCLUSION
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. Yesterday in this House the minister accused me of defending the status quo and special interest groups. If the status quo means students being able to access safe, reliable transportation to get to school on time and if special interest groups are parents, then I suppose he is correct. Parents like Sarah Crawford, mother of seven-year-old Ava, who has to cross a busy highway with no crosswalk or traffic lights - seven years old - on her walk to school because she is not eligible for busing.
Ms. Crawford has contacted the Regional Centre for Education and Stock Transportation, but she has gotten nowhere and I'll table that. Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain how parents like Ms. Crawford will be included in the minister's promised review of school busing?
HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, in fact we're collecting all the concerns that are coming in to our regional office of the department right now. There is a lot of good information and data there, parents registering their concerns daily over the course of the last couple of weeks and that will help us move forward in a way that will address them.
The review is going to look at best practices. We're undergoing that right now within this province and within other jurisdictions in the federation, with the intent of ensuring that every single parent, every single student in this system has reliable, safe, efficient busing that gets them to and from school on time, Mr. Speaker.
We know we have some work to do and we're committed to doing it.
MS. CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, with respect, this entire situation is ridiculous. Last night I heard from a parent who emailed the minister about busing concerns. She has not received a response. After seeing no bus for her children for close to a week, she has gotten an update from BusPlanner that now says her children's bus will pick them up at 8:34 a.m. - the school bell rings at 8:35 a.m.
What parents need are local representatives who know their neighbourhoods, who understand their roads, who can respond to their concerns. I would like to give the minister another chance to explain how, aside from registering complaints, parents are going to be involved in the review of school busing.
MR. CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, every single parent has received direct communication means given to them so they can get to their regional office and speak to a person immediately. We met with Stock Transportation in the region last night. Call volumes are decreasing; that is a positive sign.
I do want to remind the member that we are at about 98 per cent of our buses being to school on time and getting home on time, but we know that we have to do better. The situations that the member and other members have referenced, the situations that we've heard about in the media, the concerns that are coming in to the department and the region are unacceptable. We've made that clear to the provider of the service. We've expressed our expectation that every single parent needs to have reliable busing service on time, that's safe, and we intend to deliver that to Nova Scotians.
MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.