Parent Presents Bus Stop Complaint And More During Public Hearing

By Eliza Hallabeck

Three years, multiple meetings, phone calls, and many signatures after resident Susan McGuinness requested a bus stop be moved to her Little Brooke Lane home, rather than at the end of the road, she stood before members of the Board of Education and its attorney, Floyd Dugas, on Thursday, April 5 during a requested public hearing.

“We’re here to find out what happened in my case or any others,” said Ms McGuinness near the start of her presentation, “and to move forward in a positive way.”

School board Chair Debbie Leidlein, Vice Chair Laura Roche, and members John Vouros, Keith Alexander, and William Hart were present for the public hearing along with Mr Dugas.

No decision was made Thursday on the case, but Ms Leidlein requested copies of Ms McGuinness’s presentation for all school board members to review.

Mr Dugas explained at the start of the evening that the public hearing was being held in response to a petition, which Ms McGuinness sought and submitted with one percent of the electorate’s signatures. The petition as he summarized, asks for all contracts, laws, policies, procedures, professional and ethical codes be looked into for violations during the scope of Ms McGuiness’s case. He also said the petition asks for all administration members or board members found guilty of any possible violations to resign immediately, and that all taxpayer funds used to pay those found in violation be restored.

“Let me just say in 25 years of practice, most of which has been in the area of education, this is the first time I have seen someone request a hearing under this provision,” said Mr Dugas, before giving Ms McGuinness the floor.

Over the next hour and 40 minutes, Ms McGuinness presented portions of her dispute with the district and ideas she believes would improve the school district.

What happened to her children, Ms McGuinness said, she does not want to happen to others.

As previously reported in The Bee, in September 2009, Ms McGuinness had a kindergarten student attending St Rose of Lima School and other children attending school in the district. After consulting with a neighbor, Ms McGuinness called the school district’s Transportation Department to verify and question when her kindergarten student would be picked up; the child was scheduled to start school a week later than the district.

After speaking with then-transportation director Tony DiLonardo, whose position with the district has since been cut, the bus stop at her home was denied. Later, Ms McGuinness contacted the Newtown Police Department about the stop, and had other communications with Superintendent of School Janet Robinson.

“The school staff scheduled a 504 meeting for a disability accommodation request, a driveway bus stop, we thought it a reasonable request, since the bus was designated to pass our driveways, but not allowed to stop,” said Ms McGuinness this week.

In January 2010, three members of the school board — then board Chair Lillian Bittman, and members Richard Gaines and Mr Hart — presided over a transportation hearing between Ms McGuinness and representatives of the district’s transportation department. Ms McGuinness attended the meeting with a signed petition from her neighbors to move the bus stop for safety reasons to her driveway, which would also accommodate a doctor’s wishes related to her then 1-year-old son.

After hearing from both sides, the three school board members ruled the bus stop would not be moved, and said no buses in Newtown are permitted to drive down cul-de-sacs, like Little Brook Lane.

Following the transportation hearing, Ms McGuinness appealed to the State Board of Education on her case. The state board sided with Newtown’s Board of Education.

“My transportation hearings were predetermined,” said Ms McGuinness at the public hearing this week, “and the conspiracy continued to the [State Department of Education] in Connecticut.”

One key aspect of her case, Ms McGuinness said, was the burden of proof was placed on her rather than the district.

“This is a major problem,” she said. “Parents don’t have the burden of proof. They don’t.”

 Ms McGuinness said she spent a great deal of time away from her family to gather a preponderance of evidence.

“And they decided against me. That’s painful, and I am one person. It is happening all over the place. So I am the voice of many,” she said.

Throughout the process, Ms McGuiness said the retaliation she and her family experienced created an unsafe and stressful environment.

After Ms McGuinness spoke, Ms Leidlein interrupted her presentation to ask that instead of having Ms McGuinness read from her prepared presentation, that a copy of the presentation be made available for all board members and a date to be set for the hearing to continue.