Parents Extremely Disappointed as They Continue to Struggle with School Bussing: Dinn

St. John’s, NL (August 29, 2025) – Paul Dinn, PC Shadow Minister for Education and MHA for Topsail-Paradise, is continuing to advocate on behalf of parents who struggle with school bussing challenges.

“The Liberals promised that with the elimination of the 1.6km school bus policy, all children would have a safe way to get to school. However, parents are contacting me frustrated that the school bus system does not work for their family. Parents are reporting the same challenges as in previous years.”

Routes are determined by NLSchools based on the geographic location of all eligible students’ civic addresses. All bus stops are determined by the NLSchools; any changes to a bus stop requires NLSchools authorization in writing.

“Parents offered solutions at the end of the previous school year. Simply adding the address for the childcare center as the pick-up and drop-off point would be more responsive to their needs and eliminate a lot of stress and anxiety for parents,” offered Dinn.

A parent or legal guardian seeking a courtesy seat or change in bus stop along a student’s assigned bus route is required to complete a Courtesy Seat Request form and submit it to the school.

“With no response from government until the eleventh-hour parents must endure added red tape and apply for a courtesy seat or stop. These may not be confirmed until weeks into the school year with school administrators dealing with the added workload,” said Dinn.

“This Liberal government continues to ignore parents,” continued Dinn. “Parents are left scrambling to find alternate transportation while waiting to find out if they have a courtesy seat or stop. It is time for a PC government who will listen to the concerns of families and work with them on potential improvements,” concluded Dinn.