The New York City schools chancellor Dennis Walcott is suggesting parents of 152,000 students to find alternative ways to get to class due to the threatening a school bus strike.
Officials of Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union say they're trying to avert a strike, but school officials are taking the necessary steps. The city is offering reimbursements and Metrocards to parents who would need transportation alternatives.
If they're younger, a parent or guardian also would get a MetroCard to escort a child. And in the case of special needs children, families would get reimbursed for non-public transportation.
"A strike would affect our most vulnerable students," Chancellor Dennis Walcott told a news conference at the Manhattan headquarters of the Department of Education Sunday.
The children who use the yellow school buses include 54,000 with disabilities, the chancellor said, and the "union should stop playing games, issuing threats of striking" — but not saying which day it might happen.
"The union has said, 'Well, maybe on Monday, well maybe Wednesday, maybe we'll do it, maybe we won't do it.' They're jerking our kids around," Walcott said. "We can't allow that to happen."
The city is looking to cut transportation costs and has put bus contracts up for a bid. The union is contesting the lack of employee protections saying many current drivers could suddenly lose their jobs once their contracts are up in June.
A strike would impact all students who use the buses, including parochial and private schools.
New York City has 1.1 million students in its school district.
For more information visit the NYC Department of Education website.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 9:52 AM EDT2013-05-22 13:52:16 GMT
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race. A poll released Wednesday placed Weiner in second place behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a Democratic primary.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:10:21 GMT
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:42 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:42:24 GMT
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:09 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:09:33 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police. The incident Monday night involved two men, who police say, had met at the Bowery Mission and went out drinking together in the East Village. Roman Gornell, 39, was arrested on Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:51 PM EDT2013-05-22 01:51:10 GMT
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
