Parents In Elizabeth Forward School District Respond To Bus Lawsuit

ELIZABETH, Pa. (KDKA) -- Over 2,000 students in the Elizabeth Forward School District and their parents could be in a bind on the first school Thursday.

Pennsylvania Coach Lines is no longer honoring the contract to transport students to school.

"It was short notice, it was two and a half weeks before the school year started and I'm worried about our kids," said Superintendent Dr. Todd Keruskin.

According to the superintendent, the bus company's decision was made even though it has a new contract with the district and says they bussed kids all summer long before their August 2 announcement that service would be terminated.

"Pennsylvania Coach Lines in October presented to our School Board and our School Board on October 17, 2018 approved their extension to 2023," said Dr. Keruskin.

The company responded in a written state from owner David Sunstein.

"The assertions outlined by the Superintendent of Elizabeth Forward School District against Pennsylvania Coach Lines are both untruthful and inaccurate," the statement read. "Despite many months of effort on our part beginning as early as March 2017, The district has been unable to reach an agreement beyond the contract which expired on June 30, 2019, with all duties fulfilled at that time. It is not inconsequential that, at the same time, the school district had failed to make payments to PA Coach for past services which were in excess of $1,112,117 as of December 31, 2018. No reasons were ever given for the delay in payment, however, our services continued unwaveringly. Having no contract on August 2, 2019, we could no longer wait for the Superintendent to act and in an effort to clarify our position with the School Board regarding the failure to reach an agreement, we explained our intention to allocate our buses elsewhere...I could not be more disappointed in the district's actions."

Kate Hobaugh, a parent of a 10-year-old daughter with special needs says the bus company has numerous problems transporting her daughter to the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill.

"The buses were breaking down constantly," she said. "They were late for school multiple times, the drivers and the aides were extremely frustrated with the situation. The bus company does not want to do a run for the special needs kids."

Nicola Houston is the grandmother of an elementary school student and thinks this is going to hurt a lot of people.

"It's important for the kids out where I live in Smithdale, Victory, Ford Township, all those rural areas, we depend on that transportation," she said.