NEW ORLEANS —
During her end of year interview Thursday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the school bus crash that injured nine New Orleans students hits close to home.
“The people who work for city hall are parents,” said Cantrell. “Their children attend public school, and our kids were on that bus yesterday now having a concussion and a broken arm.”
This fact, that a city hall employee’s child was injured, only adds to Cantrell’s frustrations as she learned Wednesday the Hammond Transportation bus that crashed never passed city inspection, under the city’s new safety requirements implemented in February.
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The driver was also denied a permit for a 2016 drug conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Cantrell is now calling on the charters and the Orleans Parish School Board to do more.
“We cannot have a safe environment as it relates to transportation with the city being the only one saying that this is not only important, but it is a priority,” said Cantrell.
At a Thursday night school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis read a brief statement, where he admitted more needs to be done and that he is considering policy changes.
“I directed my team to explore options the district can take to increase bus safety including but not limited to allowing only the highest quality bus operators to service our city,” said Dr. Lewis, who also said he is implementing additional policies around transportation, and demanding that schools and their bus providers work with the city to get buses inspected and compliant as the re-inspection process for buses starts again in February.
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Dr. Lewis did not take questions from reporters, but on Wednesday, Doug Evans did. He’s the CEO at James Singleton. He said right now it’s up to the bus companies to get the buses inspected but this crash could be evidence that it's time for a change.
“I think we all have to engage and re-engage and perhaps monitor at a greater level than perhaps we do,” said Evans.
Cantrell says her office is working on plans to make the buses and the drivers safer.
“You're going to see more coming out of my office for better accountability from these Charter organizations and the Orleans Parish School Board, that has pretty much been silent.
As of Thursday morning, all of the students injured in the crash had been released from the hospital.
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