We didn’t have confusion with bus numbers. She knew all of our names, she knew our parents, and she knew the route like the back of her hand. She didn’t need a tablet to say whether or not the students that got on the bus were supposed to be there. My parents told me that she retired only a year or two ago. Miss Gloria was my neighborhood’s bus driver for … I don’t even know how long. It makes me think of my own experience riding Miss Gloria’s bus to elementary school every day. There are obviously a lot of good things that tech has done in schools, but it does make me wonder: Was this an industry that needed to be disrupted? Is this a place where technology has made an improvement? On the second week of school, one teacher mentioned that the school is taking attendance later in the day than they usually do, so that these students who arrive late are counted as “present” for the day because it’s not their fault. And now more students also have to walk to school. We’ve talked to several parents who have formed on-the-go carpool groups and are taking turns getting kids to school, fitting as many kids as they can in their cars. But some of the families-the ones on the original 20 routes that were canceled-still haven’t had their bus service restored. There are students that are doing okay-their buses are showing up and the students are getting to class on time. ![]() The First Blockbuster Testimony of the SBF Trial The Moment That Made the Courtroom Lose It During SBF’s Trial The Judge Is So Fed Up With Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Learn more about her work at do things stand now? Getting a kid off to school is hard enough without not knowing how they’re going to get there. Hill is the founder and director of Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle, a program of the Virginia Racial Healing Institute. When we come together to build a more welcoming and inclusive community, we all win! “Even when harm is unintentional, it’s still harm,” noted Lawrence Gholson, president of the York-James City-Williamsburg branch of the NAACP. This would foster respect and help to mitigate the harm that is done in a community whenever people feel that their voices are repeatedly ignored. Furthermore, Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle can provide experienced facilitators to tactfully guide the discussion.įormer President Theodore Roosevelt summed it up best when he said, “This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in, unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” Let’s apply this adage to the Greater Williamsburg community by creating welcoming spaces and giving people a voice in decisions that impact their lives. However, I dismissed the thought it’s never too late to build a bigger table! There’s still time to invite a coalition of parents, elementary school principals, school board members, civic organization leaders and the superintendent to “come to the table” to craft a viable solution for the sake of our children. ![]() As I listened to concerned citizens and community leaders, I couldn’t help thinking that this discussion was “too little, too late.” An online petition with approximately 300 signatures is still circulating, local clergy are planning a prayer service at Williamsburg Christian Church to show solidarity and another rally to raise awareness is being organized.
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