Monday, September 10, 2007

Dude, Where's My Bus?

Another banner day for the transportation department of Henrico County Public Schools.

Pretty much the same story as last week. No bus pick up for OlderSon. Call the transportation office and, sure enough, the shuttle's already left Freeman for Highland Springs. This one has a couple of additional features, however.

"The normal bus didn't run today because it had been vandalized." Okay, where was the substitute? "Oh, he says he drove the whole route, your son must not have been at the bus stop." No, he was at the bus stop for almost an hour. "Well, the driver said he ran the whole route." I guess he was wrong because my son is still here. "No, your son must not have been at the stop." Yes, he was ... for an hour now. "Are you sure he was at the right place?" He was standing under the street sign for Sweetbriar and Woodberry roads ... yes, he was there. The bus was not. "Well the driver said he ran the whole route so we let the bus go to Highland Springs."

So again, polMom has to drive OlderSon to the other side of the county. When they get to the school OlderSon is, of course, late. When they check in at the office with the many, many other students who are also late they try to give him an unexcused tardy.

Pardon me? He didn't get a bus this morning. "Yes, then he's late." No, you don't understand. The bus never came for him. "Uh, huh. He's still late." No, we live on the other side of the county, his bus never came, they released the shuttle when they shouldn't have, and we had to drive all the way out here. "That's a long drive. I'm sorry. He's still late."

Have you ever seen those cartoons where the person's face will get redder and redder and then steam will start to come out of their ears (with a little whistling noise) while their eyes begin to bulge from their sockets? Because that's how I imagine polMom as she stalked back to the car and called the transportation department.

She managed to get a hold of a nice lady who, again, assured us this would never happen again. Plus she said she'd call the school to tell them not to make our boy all tardy.

Can't wait for tomorrow.

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