So now the Governor commandeers the school buses. Why didn't she do that on Saturday before the hurricane struck on Sunday?
School districts volunteer buses for day; Blanco orders longer use
By ROY PITCHFORD and CHARLES LUSSIER
Advocate staff writers
In a spirit of cooperation, West Baton Rouge Parish and its school bus provider, First Student Inc., "loaned" their buses to the state Wednesday night for what they thought would be one run to New Orleans to help evacuate trapped residents from the flooded city.
Superintendent David Corona thought the buses would be back before classes resumed Thursday, after three days of closure as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
About 4 a.m. Thursday, Corona received a call saying that Gov. Kathleen Blanco had issued an executive order turning his buses over to the authority of State Police. The buses would not be available to take children to school.
"We were in a complex situation," Corona said. "A lot of parents planned to send their kids to school, and wouldn't have day care."
There was no forewarning of the bus commandeering. The order caused West Baton Rouge Parish and Zachary school systems to cancel classes until Tuesday. Baker held classes Thursday, but is canceling today.
Among Baton Rouge-area school systems, only West Feliciana Parish schools, where most bus drivers are independent contractors, is holding school today.
"I don't have the power to tell my bus drivers that they have to go to New Orleans," Superintendent Lloyd Lindsey said.
Most other local systems, still trying to regain electrical power, are waiting until Tuesday to resume classes, but it's not clear whether they'll be able to.
Every superintendent interviewed expressed support for the evacuation, and said they were helping the refugees already by preparing meals, collecting donations and finding uniforms. A few, though, were concerned about Blanco's order and are seeking more guidance about how long the evacuations will last.
"I'm praying that they bring our buses back," East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent Charlotte Placide said.
The state Department of Education learned about the governor's plan Wednesday night, giving the agency little time to alert affected school systems, said Meg Casper, interim communications director.
Blanco's surprise executive order is far reaching. It calls for all Louisiana school systems to make their buses available "as necessary" and to continue doing so until as late as Sept. 25. The order also specifically suspends a state law requiring free transportation for students.
In West Baton Rouge, there was no free school transportation Thursday and it showed.
Superintendent Corona called radio and television stations to say that school would be held, but that no buses were available. Children who could not make it to school would not be considered absent.
Corona said about 100 students made it to class at each of the system's 10 schools. Normal school enrollment is just under 3,500.
Corona said school officials spent Thursday afternoon making sure that those who did make it to school got home safely.
Classes are canceled today, though he hopes to resume Tuesday.
"That's assuming that we have our buses back and that we can get gasoline," Corona said. "Nobody really knows."
Officials in Zachary, which also uses First Student, also loaned buses, 23 of them, for the rescue effort Wednesday night only to find out around dawn that they would not be back in time to take kids to school. Superintendent Warren Drake made a quick decision. He canceled school Thursday and today.
Zachary administrators and teachers frantically were calling students to tell them to stay home. A few children already were standing at bus stops, but they were located and directed home, Drake said.
Drake, who volunteered to help during the cleanup after 1969's devastating Hurricane Camille, understood Blanco's move, though he wishes he had more notice.
"I'm all for it, because we have to help this human tragedy," he said.
He said he still plans to have school Tuesday.
"I have no guarantee that they'll have my buses," he said. "But I think they'll have everybody out by Monday."
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