Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As Buffalo Public Schools prepare for virtual learning, the superintendent assures families of parochial and charter school students there will be bus availability.
"If they open, my understanding, is we have to provide the service," says Dr. Kriner Cash. The district issued a statement saying it will comply with NYS law, regulation, and Board policy in regard to the provision of transportation to charter and parochial schools for the 2020 - 2021 school year. "It's always been an obligation for us and we are working out the logistics depending on when they're going to start and how they're going to start, because that only applies to in-person and hybrid," notes Cash.
For charter schools like Reach Academy, Linda Marszalek expects nothing less. "The state specifically put in the reopening plan, the transportation piece, each school district plan requires if a district is in session remotely or otherwise, bus transportation must provided to non-public, charter, and parochial students," says Marszalek. "There shouldn't be any issues as long as Buffalo Public Schools remain open for business."
Reach Academy has 450 students, 80 percent of whom take the bus. Marszalek says 40 percent of parents are choosing to have their kids learn remotely.