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Pike Township student says school bus is so overcrowded that some kids can't even sit down

Posted at 10:20 PM, Aug 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-21 23:55:26-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- School administrators in Pike Township say they are looking into a complaint about bus overcrowding after a student claims there have been several days where her bus is so full she can’t even sit down.

Shanel Maxey says her senior year at Pike High School is going great, except for the ride to and from school on the bus.

“In the morning when me and my brother try to get on the bus we see a lot of people filling up the seats,” said Maxey. “I don’t want nothing to happen to me and my brother.

She says sometimes the bus gets so crowded that students don’t even have a seat.

“It happens a lot when the bus is full of people,” said Maxey. "Standing on the bus and students start cussing at the bus driver.”

Maxey’s father reached out to RTV6 because he says he’s worried about his children’s safety.

“It’s a concern because you hear so many accidents about buses getting into wrecks and kids getting hurt because they’re not seat belted properly or in the seat,” said Fred “Kids standing on the bus going to school, that’s not very good. That’s a problem.”

Pike Township Schools issued a statement Tuesday evening saying they are not aware of any buses that are beyond capacity, but with students still enrolling administrators say they’re keeping an eye on the situation and making changes as they are needed.

School officials say they’ll talk with the district’s transportation director on Wednesday and if they find there’s a bus capacity issue they will address the situation immediately.

Read their full statement below. 

"Routes are created based upon bus capacity. We are not aware of any buses that are beyond capacity; however, at the beginning of the year, new students do enroll daily. For that reason, we monitor the situation closely and make any necessary changes to ensure that our students are transported safely to and from school. Our bus drivers receive comprehensive training annually and at no time should any student be standing.

Unfortunately, we first learned of this concern via an email from RTV6 this afternoon and have not yet had the opportunity to fully investigate the concern. If we find that this is a bus capacity issue, the situation will be addressed immediately. We encourage parents or guardians that have any concerns regarding their child to contact us so we can work with them to resolve any issues that may arise."

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