Riverside Schools’ Bus Company Continuing Suit Against Residents Some Say Service Unsafe; District Standing Behind Western States

The busing company for Riverside School District is moving forward with legal action against several Riverside residents who alleged the company uses unsafe operating practices, a representative said.

Douglas Flatt, president of Western States Bus Services Inc., contends the allegations of negligence and driving under the influence are “completely unfounded and blatantly false.”

“Frankly, it makes me mad as hell those people could make those kinds of statements,” he said. “(Riverside) students are riding on the safest equipment with some of the best drivers this company employs.”

After consulting with Western States attorneys, Flatt said he is unable to comment about the specifics of what that litigation might entail, or who is targeted.

Parents are resolute in their beliefs that things are not right with the bus service. Some have gone so far as to pull their students out of the district.

“I can’t have my kids in that kind of danger,” said one mother who asked that her name not be used. Like many other parents, she is hesitant to talk about bus issues because of the pending litigation.

Parents want the district to step up and take responsibility for the situation. But Riverside School District officials back the bus company, saying that those who made the claims are just interested in stirring up emotions and creating rifts in the community.

Most people being investigated by the bus service are part of the Community Partners for Riverside Schools group, which started about seven months ago. The group’s meetings are open to anyone involved or interested in the Riverside School District, so its members are always changing.

Because three of the group’s members are vying for the three school board positions on the ballot in November, Riverside School District Superintendent Jerry Wilson sees the group as a political entity, out to fulfill its own agenda.

CPRS members, however, said their group is not political. It was created to provide an educational forum for the community and to provide unbiased information, they said.

“I don’t know how this all happened,” said CPRS member Candice Payne. “Now we’re mixed up in an issue we never really intended to be in.”

Last month, KXLY TV aired a story in which several Riverside parents claimed the district’s bus service is unsafe, citing instances of bus operators driving under the influence.

But since Western States started providing transportation for the district two years ago, Flatt said no driver has tested positive for drug or alcohol use, been dismissed for failing a drug or alcohol screening, or been dismissed for driving under the influence.

A driver that did test positive for drug or alcohol use would be dismissed immediately, Flatt said.

Payne, however, said there are “issues surrounding busing” in Riverside involving effective communication with parents.

Wilson disagreed.

“The bus system works very well,” he said. “There’s no problem but what’s being created (by CPRS). It’s just another way to create turmoil in the community.”

Wilson vehemently objects to CPRS claiming a partnership with him and other board members. Riverside school board and Riverside administration are listed as partner resources in the CPRS newsletter, but the listing was done “without the knowledge, approval or sanction of Riverside School District,” Wilson said.

Though the district did allow CPRS to use one of the schools for a meeting, Wilson said that was done with the understanding CPRS was a nonpolitical group.

But now, Wilson said, that has changed.

“It has become very apparent that CPRS is indeed a political organization with its own agenda and its own slate of officers for the Nov. 2 board election,” he said.

For some CPRS members, a primary objective is to get on the school board. Candidate Paula Thorngate said she decided to run for a school board seat after going to board meetings, asking questions and not getting answers.

“I asked around the community and we decided that the only way to change things would be to put people on the board who are pro-children and education,” she said.

Even though some CPRS members are candidates, Payne said the group would not endorse one candidate over another.

“Our meetings are open,” she said. “We have invited the current board members, too.”

CPRS members recently decided not to meet again, however, until after the November election. “We felt like the organization was becoming a focus and a negative influence in the community, and being used by some as a political tool,” Payne said. “That wasn’t the intent.”

In other Riverside news, teachers and district officials have yet to reach a contract settlement. Wilson said it appears the Riverside Education Association is stalling talks until after the November election, when the makeup of the school board may change.

But REA spokesman Marv Sather said he expects progress to be made at the next bargaining session Wednesday.

“This is about more than just bargaining,” he said. “We want the teachers and the parents to have a voice in the priorities of the district.”