To the Superintendent Rochelle Cox, Minneapolis Transportation Director Lisa Beck, and the Minneapolis Public School Board:

We are concerned parents, community members, and friends of Hall STEM Academy.  For many years, the Minneapolis Public Schools have treated the students of Hall Academy unfairly in meeting their transportation needs.

Since before 2009, Hall Stem Academy has been forced to share bussing with Ascension Catholic Academy, a nearby private school in North Minneapolis. The reality of this decision is that Hall elementary school aged students are mixed with middle school aged students–a four year old and a 12 year old share the same bus.  This leads to many safety concerns.

Ascension students are always picked up first, and on occasion, the buses will complete the entire Ascension route before even arriving at Hall to pick up their students.  Buses are perpetually late in their morning and afternoon pick up and drop offs.  This tardiness, especially in the afternoons, may sometimes be up to 1.5 hours.  Tardiness affects our families and staff and poses a student safety issue as parents cannot plan to meet buses if bus schedules are not predictable.

Just last week, we had a bullying incident between Ascension students on our shared buses . . . the incident did not even involve Hall students, but our Assistant Principal had to pull an Ascension student off the bus and spend an hour with that student, getting them in touch with the administration at Ascension. This cannot continue.

The Minneapolis Public School district has identified four primary goals, and this bussing issue violates goals 2, 3, and 4.

• Goal 1: Academic Achievement
• Goal 2: Student Well Being (every student’s physical and mental wellbeing is addressed as an integral part of their education)
• Goal 3: Effective Staff (school and district staff approach all work centered on students and equity)
• Goal 4: School and District Climate (MPS is seen by our community as welcoming, responsive, and connected)

If student well being is a primary goal, a 4 year old should not be bussed with a 12 year old.  When there are issues, there is no district established person or process for both schools to identify and address bussing problems.

Staff are unable to attend after school development sessions because they are waiting with students who have yet to be picked up by their buses.   This affects their ability to become an effective staff as in goal #3.

Is the Minneapolis Public Schools equitable in its bussing policies?  No other Minneapolis Public School is forced to share bussing with a private school.  This issue has been raised repeatedly by Hall administration with no action.  Goal 4 states that the school and district will be responsive and connected.  Will the Minneapolis Public School District and its School Board and leadership serve the needs of all of its students or just ones that live in well resourced areas?  This is an equity issue that must be addressed.

We demand your prompt action on this critical issue.

Parents, Community Members, and Friends of Hall STEM Academy