Parents raise safety concerns about crowded CMS bus

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Parents reached out to Channel 9 after seeing cellphone pictures their children took on a crowded Charlotte-Mecklenburg school bus.

The pictures show some students sitting in the aisles, others standing.

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 Parents told Channel 9 the bus to South Charlotte Middle School is often very late to school and late dropping students off at night. Sometimes by 45 minutes to an hour.

"I expect my kids to be taken to school and brought home safely but that has not been what's happening," said Chessa Moore, who has two children at South Charlotte Middle School.

She said the conditions aboard the bus are dangerous.

"With so much traffic, other school traffic and commuter traffic on these roads, they're just asking for an accident to happen," Moore said.

 CMS officials said in a statement Thursday they are aware of the problem.

"There has been an issue with some buses that serve South Charlotte Middle," the statement read. "Transportation leaders are working to reduce the number of students on buses and reviewing routes. We ask parents and student patience as we work to resolve the issues. As always, our students' safety is our top priority."

However, some parents said this is not a new problem at all.

Beth Cole's daughter rode the bus three years ago when she was in middle school. She said it was the same story then.

"I think it's sad. I just can't believe they can't come up with a solution to this problem," Cole said.

She said her daughter was told it wasn't safe to stand in the aisle, but there was no room for her to sit down on some occasions.

Students standing on the bus while in motion is strictly prohibited, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Each child must be seated on the bus with a padded seatback behind, and a padded seatback in front, regulations state.

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