| Releases
& Statements
For Release: Monday,
February 5, 2007
Contact: Frank Sobrino, Press Secretary
O: (212) 669-4193
Statement
by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
On Continued Problems with School Bus Route Changes
“I am calling on the Mayor and
Chancellor to immediately abandon the ill-conceived school bus
re-routing plan implemented a week ago and to spare parents and
children further hardship in this brutally cold weather.
“Scrap the plan. It can’t
be salvaged. Asking parents to call 311 and the Office of Pupil
Transportation has provided nothing but temporary false hope to
the many parents whose children are left stranded at bus stops
or delivered late to school.
“Enough is enough. Instead of
belittling parents for voicing their concerns to the media and
elected officials, immediately restore the routes parents and
children had come to know and use for years. Go back to the drawing
board and pilot a new plan in the fall, when the weather is more
accommodating.
“Under no circumstances, however,
should Alvarez & Marsal be involved in developing student
transportation plans. The company’s role in the school bus
fiasco warrants termination of its contract, not an invitation
to wreak still more havoc in the lives of parents and students.
“Fire Alvarez & Marsal.
Stop blaming the victims. Fix this mess immediately.”
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