Board of education takes yet another look at busing policy

BYRAM-In an effort to see if a way could be found to accommodate the before and after busing needs of kids in Byram who attend Creative Kidkare, the Board of Education took another look at the current busing ban policy. School Superintendent Joe Pezak says the board went back to the drawing board, but to no avail. "We again reviewed the circumstances in the later part of August," said Pezak. "We could not find a solution." According to Pezak, Byram Bus Lines, the company the Byram School District contracts with to provide bus service, told him that they would not provide service to and from Creative Kidkare, located at 7 Lackawanna Drive, because the company deemed stopping there not safe. However, parents of children who attend the day care center have been informed that for $170 a month, Byram Bus Lines would provide bus service to and from the facility. "I am a single parent. I have no choice but to work," said Katerina Moklak, who has children at the facility. "I have a very hard time making ends meet. This $170 would buy groceries to feed my children for two weeks." When asked why Byram Bus Lines would stop if parents paid the additional fee but not do so as part of the service it provides the school district, Pezak explained that regulations and the contract dictate the busing operation for the schools. "There are different requirements and parameters," said Pezak. "We are dealing with a fleet of buses. There are different regulations dealing with a private carrier." A person answering the phones at Byram Bus Lines on Tuesday hung up when a request was made seeking comment for this story.