Newfield school bus drivers adapt to pandemic

While the COVID-19 pandemic has made safely transporting students to school more difficult, Newfield’s school bus drivers have adapted to the new safety requirements.

The pandemic has resulted in changes to who rides the bus to school and when. For the middle and high schools, there are two cohorts of students — those who attend in-person classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and those who attend class on Thursdays and Fridays — and thus two separate groups of students who are transported via bus.

Elementary schoolers are also divided into two groups — those who attend in-person classes in the morning and those who attend in the afternoon.

Interim Superintendent Eric Hartz said that new school bus regulations related to social distancing only allow one student per bus seat unless the students are from the same household. Hartz said the tall bus seats helped serve as barriers between the passengers, making distancing the students easier.

Jacquelyn Jenney, who has been working as a bus driver for Newfield for 21 years, said that the passenger limit for Newfield buses during the pandemics is 20 students, compared to their usual maximum capacity of 50 to 60 students. She said keeping kids from different households apart while on the bus was the hardest part of transporting them.

“They want to hang out and visit with each other, so there’s no way you can keep them 6 feet apart if you have more than a certain amount, but we try,” Jenney said.

In addition to social distancing requirements, Newfield school buses require the students riding on them to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Hartz said that the students and their families have proved willing to cooperate with the rules, something he said is because Health Department regulations are unambiguous and indisputable.

“It’s not hard at all; it’s just the way it is,” Hartz said. “You abide by the rules or don’t ride the bus.”

Jenney said that while some passengers try to get away with not wearing masks while sitting in the back of the bus, her passengers generally understand and accept the rule requiring them to wear masks while on the bus.

“The older kids aren’t crazy about it, but if they don’t do it, then there’s consequences,” Jenney said. “I haven’t had any real problems with that. I feel bad for the little kids, that they have to wear them so long, but that’s the way it goes.”

Hartz said that while some buses had to be rerouted, the district did not need to send out more buses since many buses have half as many riders as before. He said that part of the reason for this was because more parents are driving their children to school.

“I think the parents think it causes less crowding on the buses, and it’s a safer way to transport because they’re with their own families,” Hartz said.

According to Jenney, at the start of the school year, about 45% of parents had chosen to drive their children to school.

As a result of more parents dropping their children off at school, the district switched the spots where buses drop off their passengers and where parents drop off their children, resulting in the parents’ drop-off point being closer to the school than the buses’ spot.

Hartz said the new setup was more efficient than the district had anticipated, helped prevent traffic jams and will probably remain in place even after the pandemic.

“It’s so much safer for both kids, parents and our buses, and people in our parking lot,” Hartz said.

Keeping the buses clean is also necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19, and Newfield bus drivers are responsible for sanitizing their vehicles. According to Hartz, the drivers use portable sanitizers to disinfect their buses between bus runs and at the end of the day. The sanitizers are electronic ionized misting systems, and it takes a minute and a half to sanitize each bus.

Hartz said the sanitizing devices are efficient, and while they are not safe to use around computers or other electronic devices, they can safely be used around the instruments at the driver’s seat. He said the company that provided the devices also provided larger jet packs that are used to disinfect the school.

Jenney said that Hartz has handled the pandemic well and that most of the students she transports have been cooperative. She said she appreciates the Newfield School District’s leadership during the pandemic.

“I think they’re doing the best they can in trying to keep the kids safe and us safe,” Jenney said. “We’ve been doing pretty good so far as far as closing and stuff.”

Hartz said the district’s drivers have been “amazing and on board” during the pandemic. He praised the district’s transportation director, Chuck Brockner, and said that Brockner was one of the best transportation directors in the area.

“In the beginning, I think everybody’s anxiety was a little high, like teachers, aides and everybody,” Hartz said. “But since we’ve been in the routine now for three months, for the most part, I think that teachers [and] bus drivers feel very safe. I’ve had no complaints, and I don’t believe we had anyone resign or not stay on because of COVID.”

In Brief:

Town Court closed for public appearances

The Newfield Town Court has suspended public appearances for the sake of public safety during the COVID-19 health crisis and in order to comply with Updated Opening Protocols.

Residents with traffic violations can visit https://www2.tompkinscountyny.gov/da, and click on “Traffic Tickets- All Other Courts,” download the District Attorney’s plea form if the violation applies to their ticket and mail it in with their ticket. Violators also have the option to plead not guilty and call the court at 607-564-9981 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For other cases, residents should contact their attorneys for instructions on how to proceed virtually.

For more information, visit https://newfieldny.org/newfield-town-court.