Stafford County School Board Chair Maureen Siegmund, elected in 2021 to represent the Garrisonville District, spoke with Potomac Local News for the first time since the school division failed to provide transportation to more than 3,000 students at the start of the school year. The transportation issues, which affected about 10% of the student population, left parents struggling to find alternate ways to get their children to school for nearly two weeks.
Siegmund addressed the growing calls for an independent investigation into the transportation breakdown, stating, "We don't know yet what that [investigation] will look like. The RFQs [Requests for Qualifications] are out, and once we get through that process, we'll determine what that looks like." When asked if any personnel changes had been made within the transportation department, Siegmund was unable to provide specifics but emphasized that discussions have been ongoing.
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Multiple parents raised concerns about ongoing transportation issues in the school district at the Stafford County School Board meeting on September 10, 2024. During the citizen comment period, delays, missed buses, and lack of communication were highlighted.
Michael Schultz, a parent, addressed the board about the transportation challenges his daughter has faced. "We’re about in week five of the school year, and I can say that transportation has been consistently horrible and inconsistent in pretty much all aspects," Schultz said. He described situations where students were left at school for extended periods, saying, "There were kids that were still at the school two hours and 45 minutes after dismissal." Schultz expressed frustration at the lack of improvement and transportation discussions on the meeting agenda.
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In a meeting on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, Stafford County School Board members faced a litany of transportation issues that had plagued the district since the beginning of the school year. A beleaguered transportation system left 3,000 children—nearly 10 percent of the student population—without a ride to school.
On Monday, August 12, the first school day for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th-grade students, parents learned that some children would not have bus transportation. All Stafford County students were scheduled to return to classes the following day, and the problems continued, with about 1,000 students still without a bus.
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The Stafford County School Board will hold a special called meeting on Tuesday, August 27, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, livestreamed online, and televised on local cable channels. The public is invited to attend, but the agenda does not include public comments.
The meeting agenda includes a transportation update; Stafford Public Schools faced a chaotic first week with major software issues that left thousands of students without transportation to and from school. The board will also discuss redistricting for the county's newest High School, which will impact students in the 2026-27 school year. The school will be located between Route 17 and Truslow Road in the southwestern part of the county. This area currently does not have a public high school, and the new facility is expected to help alleviate overcrowding in the existing schools.
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Acting Superintendent Chris Fulmer said 99% of Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) students have now been assigned bus routes, but "despite our best efforts, there are students without confirmed routes."
SCPS began the year with significant transportation issues, with almost 3,000 students who had no assigned bus route. Parents were notified the night before school began for Kindergarteners, Sixth and Ninth graders. The issues continued throughout the first week. According to Fulmer, the issues were due to a software issue with the new transportation app.
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Stafford County Schools is still working to resolve a transportation crisis.
On Monday, the first school day for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th-grade students, parents learned that some 3,000 children would not have bus transportation to school. All Stafford County students were scheduled to return to classes the following day, and the problems continued, with about 1,000 students still without a bus to carry them to school.
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With some students returning to class tomorrow, parents in Stafford County are expressing frustration and concern as some students have yet to be assigned bus routes for the upcoming school year. In a letter sent to families, Karim Johnson, the Executive Director of Transportation Services, acknowledged the delay and apologized for the oversight, assuring parents that his team was working diligently to resolve the issue.
The first day of school for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grade students is tomorrow, Monday, August 12, 2024. All other students will return to school on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Johnson emphasized that the transportation team works around the clock to ensure all students receive their bus assignments by Monday evening.
