Dept. of Education Addresses Parent Concerns and Clarifies Transportation Issue for Special Education Students

The V.I. Dept. of Education convened a meeting on Tuesday to address concerns raised during a Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development hearing. The meeting was organized to clarify a misunderstanding regarding the transportation of a Special Education (SPED) student, following an inquiry made at the hearing on September 9. Present at the meeting were former Senator Nelly O'Reilly, concerned parents, SPED Bus Supervisor Ms. Peters, Special Education District Director Dr. Tanya Lockhart, and Deputy Superintendent Andrea Shillingford. The matter in question involved a parent's belief that their child had not been picked up due to a reported fuel shortage for SPED buses. However, upon investigation, it was confirmed that the situation arose from a missed communication rather than a fuel issue. SPED Bus Supervisor Ms. Peters explained that multiple attempts had been made to contact the parent after the student was absent due to illness. The calls, however, were missed by th...