We, the undersigned parents and guardians of students residing in Prospect and Beacon Falls who attend Emmett O’Brien, Kaynor, and Nonnewaug, urgently submit this petition to express our deep concerns regarding the recent decision to change afternoon bus stops from neighborhood locations to common bus stops.

While we understand the district’s efforts to address transportation efficiency, this decision endangers our children, imposes undue hardships on families, and fails to meet the district’s fundamental obligation to provide safe, accessible transportation for all students.

Key Concerns:

1. Critical Student Safety Risks

Forcing students—many of whom are minors—to walk from a centralized location significantly increases exposure to traffic hazards, inclement weather, and potential risks from strangers or unsafe conditions.
Beacon Falls - North Main Street Commuter Parking Lot and Prospect  - Public Library are not designed as safe student drop-off points. These areas lack proper lighting, adult supervision, and traffic control, drastically increasing the likelihood of accidents and safety incidents.

2. Unfair Burden on Families

Many parents work full-time and cannot leave their jobs early to pick up students from these common stops. This decision places an unfair and unrealistic burden on families, particularly those with younger youth or no reliable means of transportation.

3. Disproportionate Impact on Out-of-District Students

While Region 16 argues that “most districts use common stops” for out-of-district students, this does not justify implementing a change that jeopardizes safety and convenience.
These students are still part of Region 16, and their transportation needs should not be deprioritized to accommodate scheduling issues elsewhere in the district.

4. Alarming Lack of Transparency and Accountability

A parent had a call with mayor Chatfield 14 FEB 2025 where he informed parents that this was an executive decision made by the Board of Education without any public input. This exclusion of stakeholders is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about transparency and governance.
A parent had a call with Superintendent Yamin on 14 FEB 25 where he stated that this is a bus company issue, citing driver shortages, and mentioned that he paid for a van and a bus and is now seeking a refund.
A parent had a call with Principal Ogren on 14 FEB 2025 where confirmed this was a Board of Education decision that was made on Wednesday 12 FEB 2025.
When called the bus company on 14 FEB 2025, they stated that they have no information regarding this change, leaving parents with unanswered questions about who is truly responsible and whether this is a cost-cutting measure at the expense of student safety.
The complete lack of coordination and accountability among district leadership and transportation providers is unacceptable. Parents deserve honest, clear communication regarding who made this decision and why no alternative solutions were explored.

5. Failure to Explore Alternative Solutions

Before implementing this drastic change, the district should have considered alternatives, such as:

Adjusting bus schedules to prevent delays without eliminating neighborhood stops.
Implementing staggered drop-off times to avoid congestion.
Providing additional buses or reviewing route optimization strategies.

6. Negative Impact on Educational Standing

The PISA 2022 results, which assessed approximately 700,000 students across 81 countries, ranked the United States at:
#34 in Mathematics
#16 in Science
#9 in Reading
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment?utm_source=chatgpt.com
With these concerning rankings, any decision that prioritizes cost-cutting over student welfare will only accelerate further declines. Making it harder for students to get home safely undermines our district’s responsibility to protect and support its students.
Our Demand for Immediate Action:

We, the parents and guardians of Region 16 students, demand that the Board of Education:

Immediately reevaluate this decision and work with transportation providers to implement a safer solution.
Hold a public meeting where parents can voice their concerns and propose practical alternatives.
Delay implementation of this change until a safer, more practical solution is identified.

As taxpayers, community members, and parents, we expect Region 16’s Board of Education to prioritize student safety and uphold its duty to provide equitable, safe, and accessible transportation. We insist on immediate reconsideration of this decision and look forward to collaborative efforts in finding a resolution that puts student welfare first.

The Region 16 Board of Education 8 Members https://www.region16ct.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2189453&type=d&pREC_ID=2187674

Beacon Falls

1.       Ms. Tiffany Burkitt-Lyga - BOE Chair (2021-2025) tlyga@region16ct.org

2.       Mrs. Christine Arnold (2021-2025) carnold@region16ct.org

3.       Mr. Douglas Bousquet (2023-2027) dbousquet@region16ct.org 

4.       Ms. Lisa Mariano (2023-2027) lmariano@region16ct.org

 Prospect   

1.       Mr. Robert Hiscox - BOE Vice-Chair (2021-2025) rhiscox@region16ct.org

2.       Mrs. Karima Jackson (2021-2025) kjackson@region16ct.org 

3.       Mr. Nazih Noujaim (2023-2027) nnoujaim@region16ct.org

4.       Ms. Roxann Vaillancourt (2023-2027) roxydvee@yahoo.com 

Principal Kurt Ogren, Woodland Regional High School – Region 16 Transportation Coordinator - kogren@region16ct.org

Superintendent Mr. Michael P. Yamin myamin@region16ct.org

Exact Letter from Mr. Ogren

“February 13, 2025

Dear Parents,

You are receiving this letter because your son or daughter resides in Prospect or Beacon Falls, currently attends Emmett O’Brien, Kaynor, or Nonnewaug, and is provided bussing via All-Star Transportation.

The bussing schedule for morning pick-up and transportation to each of the three schools will remain unchanged. As a courtesy, Region 16 has assigned bus stops that are close to your home. However, we will have to make a change from more convenient “neighborhood stops” to less convenient “common bus stops” in both Beacon Falls and Prospect for drop-off at the end of the school day.

We are forced to make this change because these buses (traveling from Ansonia, Waterbury, and Woodbury) often run late due to the distance traveled to Beacon Falls and Prospect. This often causes a “domino effect” which causes these buses to then be late for their Prospect Elementary School and Laurel Ledge Elementary School runs in the afternoon. The way to mitigate this problem is to create common bus stops in the afternoon.

This is not a decision that we make lightly, but one that we must make to benefit the greater majority of Region 16 students. Our research tells us that most districts use common stops for BOTH drop-off and pick-up for students who attend out-of-district schools such as Emmett O’Brien, Kaynor, or Nonnewaug.

The changes will go into effect for the AFTERNOON ONLY starting Monday, March 3rd. The common afternoon stops will be as follows:

Beacon Falls Residents = North Main Street Commuter Parking Lot

Prospect Residents = Prospect Library

Your cooperation and understanding is greatly appreciated. Feel free to contact me at 203-881-5551 if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Kurt Ogren

Principal, Woodland Regional High School

Region 16 Transportation Coordinator”