So frustrated with FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you're crazy for asking for a bus schedule since spring for next year's school year! If you needed to know that early, ask a neighbor. And if you don't have a neighbor to ask that, it might tell you something!

If the school can't tell Op what the bus schedule is, yet, why do you think that "the neighbor" knows?

Neighbors will know approximately when the SH and MS came last year. The HS time is the best bet.

Our neighborhood is near the HS and not served by buses.

- OP

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why this is so URGENT!!!

Your child's school starts at X time. You have access to that data already. Your child's bus will come 30-50 min. before X. What is the issue? Did you really need to know the exact minute last month?

This is just standard for all school systems. It's not a problem with FCPS. It's a problem with OP being too demanding. Go--With--The---Flow. You are one of many who will need this info. It will be available.

If you can't make it to the open house, you can call and ask the office staff that day. You can ask a neighbor who is going to let you know. You can log into blackboard and the bus schedule is listed there (not now, but once it is publicized).

Is a 20 min. window really that hard to accommodate?

FWIW, several thousand 7th graders each year have been getting on buses as early as 6:30 a.m. (for decades) -- they are the ones who were zoned for secondary schools. So, I'm pretty sure the rest of the 7th graders can manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you're crazy for asking for a bus schedule since spring for next year's school year! If you needed to know that early, ask a neighbor. And if you don't have a neighbor to ask that, it might tell you something!

If the school can't tell Op what the bus schedule is, yet, why do you think that "the neighbor" knows?

Neighbors will know approximately when the SH and MS came last year. The HS time is the best bet.

Our neighborhood is near the HS and not served by buses.

- OP

Again, this is NOT rocket science. ASK a MS in your neighborhood what time the bus came last year. Find out the start times last year and the start times this year and adjust accordingly. THis is not really an issue.

OR ASK a MS in your neighborhood to text you the time when THEY go to the open house.

Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

Again. Why would other people in the neighborhood have this info before you do? If the school doesn't know, they don't know. Even if they think that do. Relax. You will all be told when the info is available.

[Anonymous]

OP, FWIW, most of us are as frustrated as you but have just accepted the bureaucratic bungling as "the way it is" in FCPS. Also, the schedule is at best an estimate, the bus comes when it comes. Changes are communicated by the driver sticking his head out the window and telling whichever adult is at the stop the new times. You'll need to keep flexible or go nuts.

FCPS is driven by the bureaucrats and they don't really care if you have to get to work or anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again. Why would other people in the neighborhood have this info before you do? If the school doesn't know, they don't know. Even if they think that do. Relax. You will all be told when the info is available.

They won't. BUT, the neighbors will go to the Open House that the OP chose to skip. Then the neighbors WILL know and can transfer that knowledge to the OP through a text message, email or phone call.

The OP has expressed frustration that the only place they can find out the bus schedule is at the Open House and that her family has chosen that week to be out of town.

[Anonymous]

We peeked out the window and as kids started leaving their houses my middle schooler left too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again. Why would other people in the neighborhood have this info before you do? If the school doesn't know, they don't know. Even if they think that do. Relax. You will all be told when the info is available.

They won't. BUT, the neighbors will go to the Open House that the OP chose to skip. Then the neighbors WILL know and can transfer that knowledge to the OP through a text message, email or phone call.

The OP has expressed frustration that the only place they can find out the bus schedule is at the Open House and that her family has chosen that week to be out of town.

But op has 5 pages of posters telling her that the bus route/schedule will be mailed to her house. It will also be avail able at open house. And neither will happen for at least another 2 weeks so Op calling the school or Transportation or anything else will not help.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how you've gotten to middle school without the vaguest understanding of why bus schedules wouldn't be finalized until right before school starts. We've always been walkers to every school we've attended, and I've still managed to pick up this information along the way.

I also don't understand why, if you're so obsessed with having every last detail of information, you would decide to take a two-week vacation right before school starts and skip orientation. Even if you have your class and bus schedules before then, your kid is still going to miss out on information. It's fine to skip orientation, but only if you can cope with going with the flow a little more.

[Anonymous]

Cut her some slack! Over the past four years our ES times stayed the same but the bus times varied by 25 min...later and earlier. This made a big difference for my job and my commute logistics. It is hard not to know but, as others have said, the times on the paper are always wrong anyway.

Our MS starts at 6th grade and I intend to check on my daughter a bit at the stop in the AM. She'll be alone on a busy corner with no sidewalk. I won't stand next to her unless she wants me to but you don't have to cut all morning support the day they start 6th grade. It depends on the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, OP, most MS and HS have their big open house type things that last week before school starts. Kids get their lockers, you can buy gym uniforms, etc. You obviously have to go on vacation when it's best for your family but if you choose to skip this event, you need to be willing to do the stuff on your own within the rules that work for the school. I can't think of any school who would publish a bus schedule before they send out the beginning of year packets. They have not been finalized, especially with the changes this year. Your neighbors will be your best resources.

You don't have to rely on the neighbors. You really don't. The school will get you the info, just don't expect to get any info earlier than anybody else.

My objection is that they are getting the info to us so late. I don't think it's reasonable to tell parents they can't have a bus schedule for 1) a new middle school for rising 7th grader with 2) a completely revamped school schedule due to bell changes until 3) September 2 for a school year that starts September 8. Do other people really not have multiple children, commutes, drop offs and child care to coordinate?

Obviously I'm the only one who thinks this is such late notice as to be objectionable. Good to know....

You want a bus and FCPS has to pick up all that need one on the route. Guess what? If you want to leave the house to drop the kid at a stop for a particlualr time just drive it to a stop that fits your schedule. One of my kids was on a circuitous bus route. Only child at a stop so I would wait with him. He's get on and ride for 30+ minutes on the scenic route. The solution was to learn the route and drive him to another stop that picked up 35 minutes after his which was a 10 minute round trip drive for me at the most. Plus he could wait with 3-4 other kids.

[Anonymous]

10:27 again-my solution also works since sometimes they tweak routes.