At the Oct. 2 general meeting of the Farmingdale Board of Education, several residents noted their concerns regarding new bus routes for students in all of Farmingdale's schools. Citing longer bus rides and some incidents between students the first few days of the new routes, parents asked the board why the changes in routes occurred in the first place and, saying that it was never a problem before, asked why many of the buses are arriving later than usual.

Some parents noted that they've seen buses literally following each other down streets and stated their confusion as to why two buses are necessary on the same route.

"I was originally told that this had to do with a new state mandate for integration," one parent noted. "I was later told that's not the case. I just want to know what's going on - I've never had this problem before."

Assistant Superintendent for Transportation Barbara Horsley explained that all bus routes were looked at last year by the administration and that most were rerouted not only in an effort to better integrate students, but also in anticipation of a new state mandate regarding mandatory seat belts on all school buses. Horsley noted that while the mandate is not yet in effect, the board anticipates it will be soon and it's easier for the school district to slowly work its way into complying.

"The [main] reason for changing the routes was to better integrate students," Horsley explained. "We feel it's a positive and important learning experience for all our students. We are monitoring all the buses to ensure that those issues which occurred the first few days are no longer happening."

She added that video cameras were placed on buses and that adults were riding along on the bus with students for awhile, to monitor how the drives were going and how students were behaving.

"No routes are consistently getting to school late," the assistant superintendent added, noting that once in a while a bus has arrived a few minutes late, but it's not a constant problem. "No children are on the bus longer than half an hour, in fact most are on for much less."

Some parents disagreed, stating that their children get out of school and don't arrive home until nearly 50 minutes later. One parent noted that her daughter graduated from the district last year and never had this problem, now all of a sudden her son is arriving home much later than he should be. Horsley assured all the parents with concerns that she will look into the situation.

Some residents further questioned why it was necessary to comply with a law that has not yet been instated, regarding the proposed seat belt legislation.

"In anticipation of the new law, we looked to lower the number of students on each bus. This year we included additional buses," Horsley explained, noting that the seat belt legislation is stalled in the legislature. She added that by lowering the number of students per bus to approximately 42, sometimes more buses have to go to a specific section of a neighborhood to pick up students. She further noted that lowering the number was not only done in anticipation of the new law but also to help the students feel more comfortable.

"Safety is our number one concern, with timing being a close second," Horsley said. "I'm not in any way trying to portray that our bus routes are perfect. We are working daily with the drivers, we're working on it all the time [and] we're open to hearing any suggestions. It's a work in progress."