‘It’s stressful, I’m a single mom’: Rochester family asks for closer bus stop

Editor’s Note: Charter schools do not control scheduling and bus transportation for students; this is handled by the Rochester City School District, which oversees the contracts, according to the New York Charter Schools Association.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — “It’s stressful and I’m a single mom,” said Rochester mother Jamie Wagner. “If that’s what I’m gonna have to do, I’ll have to do it.”

Her son’s charter school moved its bus stop nearly half a mile away, at the eleventh hour. It used to be at their front door.

Now she has to walk from their high-rise at MLK Park, across East Avenue, and across East Main Street to the YMCA. She’ll have to walk with her 7-year-old, and a preschooler in tow.

Seven-year-old Joey Woodall attends Roc-Sci Charter School on Humboldt Street. Jamie Wagner said the school delayed sending out a bus schedule for months. For a week and a half into the new school year, there was no bus.

A single mother with no car, she had to find rides for her kids for the first few weeks of school

“The parents were told to fill out the paperwork, any busing changes or address changes. Everything with us was still the same, we handed it in early March,” Wagner said.

But despite handing in her papers early, Wagner’s bus stop still got moved. She said the school hasn’t told her why, other than bus driver shortages.

Now, she’ll have to make the 10-minute walk with her kids.

We circled back with her on Monday morning to see how the walk went.

The bus was 12 minutes late. Her attempts to reach the bus garage by phone were not successful.

The whole experience?

A lot for a 7-year-old, Jamie said.

“It’s very stressful, I mean, it’s okay weather, but I’m thinking about the winter, having my other little one, again,” she said.

Now she just wants a compromise.

“I would like for him to be picked up right in front of the building, but if not, you know something a little closer.”

It’s possible the nationwide bus driver shortage is causing all of this mayhem. News10NBC called and emailed the charter school, and First Student bus company Monday morning. The charter school would not comment on Wagner’s situation, and referred us to the bus company.

We’re still waiting for a response from them.

In the meantime, Jamie Wagner is filing paperwork to formally request a bus stop change. The school told her the soonest it can make a change is October. But even then, there’s no promises.