RUTLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - COVID-19 guidelines may be to blame for snowy situations inside Massachusetts school buses.
A Facebook photo of a winter wonderland onboard a school bus posted by a friend living on the South Shore prompted Julia Reno, of Holden, to ask her own kids about their ride to school this week.
“I was really alarmed to see what the conditions were like that these kids are sitting in,” Reno said.
Her older daughter, who takes the bus to Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School snapped some photos of her snowy ride. Her son, who attends Mayo Elementary in Holden, said he has experienced the same thing several times but does not have a cell phone to take pictures.
Another Montachusett parent provided this photo to 7NEWS:
“In that kind of temperature with the wind chill factor and everything on top of it, I was really upset and concerned,” Reno said.
COVID guidelines for Massachusetts school bus say windows must be kept open at least two inches even when kids are wearing masks.
Reno suspects the windows were never closed ahead of Saturday’s nor’easter and wonders why the snow was not cleared out before the kids were picked up. Looking for answers, she reached out to her kids’ schools, state education officials and even the governor’s office.
“To let them know the consequences of these guidelines that are in place and what our kids are dealing with,” Reno explained.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it is aware of at least two school districts where snow on buses has become an issue.
“The department’s guidance recommends windows be open for ventilation ‘when feasible.’ DESE staff were informed that school officials in these school districts have spoken to their bus companies to let them know this is unacceptable,” a DESE spokesperson told 7NEWS.
Reno hopes her kids’ bus drivers, get the memo.
“This is concerning for me because I’m wondering what else my kids are just dealing with due to the COVID protocols that I’m unaware of,” she said.
7NEWS reached out to the bus company that operates the vehicles Reno’s kids ride for comment on but they did not respond.
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