Hello students, parents, and Members of the Pocono Mountain School Board.

My name is Trebor Maitin and I spoke to you at the School Board meeting as the East High School SGA Representative. Beyond this position, I am the captain of the boy's varsity cross country team, co-leader of the Speech & Debate team, and a member of the Scholastic Scrimmage team, among other things. I wasn't aware of how to speak at the podium about the issue, so I am putting my thoughts in writing.

You have heard a lot from the bus drivers, parents, and staff, but I do not believe you have yet heard from a student about the bussing situation. I might not represent the entire student body, but the purpose of this petition is to create a platform for their voices. I wish to provide you with my perspective on the matter.

I will first take you back to October of this year when the cross country team needed a bus to PEC to practice; we were originally scheduled to leave immediately after classes adjourned, but we were informed last minute that we were to leave an hour earlier. When I got on the bus, I noted that the bus was filled to the brim with students. The boy's cross country team was not just sharing the bus with the girl's cross country team, as is customary, rather we were sharing the bus with boy's varsity soccer team, boy's junior varsity soccer, and both boy's and girl's Junior High cross country. I offered my seat, which I shared with two others, to one of my peers; I sat on the floor with a few other students and the bags of those around me. In the back of the bus, one of the soccer players resorted to sitting on the water cooler. Everyone else sat either three or four to a seat; we were told to suck it up for the fifteen minute ride as this was the new normal. This has not happened to me since, however, but it should not be considered normal.

On a separate occasion, the cross country team was forgotten at a meet in Stroudsburg. The West team felt bad, so they offered us a ride. This also occured with the Debate team, forgotten at Pocono Mountain West; we stood for upwards of 45 minutes, waiting for a driver to retrieve us. The Scholastic Scrimmage team has been late to nearly every competition as a driver from West has had to pick us up, return to West to pick up their Scholastic Scrimmage team, and then turn around and drive to Pleasant Valley.

These conditions cannot continue; I am speaking solely from my experiences with extracurricular activities; I know that this problem extends far beyond just me. Most students do not share the luxury of having a driver's license and a car, relying instead on our busses to get them to and from school, but many of them wonder throughout the day now if they will have a ride home. Instances like this are becoming more and more common, with it developing into somewhat of a “status quo.”

Busses have been constantly unreliable since this supposed transitional period began, primarily due to the inaction of the School Board. All of the aforementioned incidents have occurred because of the lack of compromise, and, as of writing this, two days of school have already been missed, with more on the way. This petition was not started for political reasons and I will not share my opinion on the matter in it. What I have told you is just my story, but I am almost certain that there are many more like it, so I must urge you, the members of the Board, to come to a swift and rational decision, taking into consideration not only perceived fiscal responsibilities, but the opinions of your constituents, all of the facts available and, most importantly, us, the students. We need action immediately. We are the ones that will be forced to “suck it up” until June. 

As for the students: I would like you to share your stories below or with the school board themselves. We are the ones harmed by this situation.

“To prepare all students for tomorrow's challenges and opportunities.”

-Trebor Maitin

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Co-contributors: Paulina Tes (PMW), Kiran Thomas (PME), Oliver Paszkowski (PME), Daniel Sorrentino (PME), Brynn Withey (PME)

For further reading:

*The names and emails of the members of the Pocono Mountain School Board, all of which are public information, can be found here: https://www.pmsd.org/domain/38

*Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board Fact Finder Report: https://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Labor-Management-Relations/plrb/fact-finding/2019/Documents/Pocono-Mtn-SD-88-19-22-E.pdf

*Pocono Mountain School Board official rejection of Fact Finder Report: https://www.pmsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=22&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=13217&PageID=1

*PMSD General Budget: https://www.pmsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916596/Centricity/Domain/33/PDE%202019-2020%20Final%20General%20Fund%20Budget%20executed.pdf

(Notice: Our views do not reflect the views of the clubs we represent. All contents of the petition are considered free speech.)