Principal Jennifer Kelley and her assistant principal Orlando Valentin greeted the students with smiles and words of encouragement and led them to the correct entrance for their grade level.
“This is one of the most prepared years we’ve ever had,” Kelley said. “We’re really excited and it’s going to be a great year.”
Although classes officially start at 8:55 a.m., the last bus didn’t arrive until 9:20 a.m. – a common occurrence on the first day, according to Principal Kelley. She noted that it often takes a few days for the bus schedule to settle in.
There are also delays when students return home after school. Valentin explained that it takes a few minutes longer for each student to board the correct bus.
David Cardona, transportation manager for Meriden Public Schools, said each driver drove his route last Thursday to familiarize themselves with it.
“We will continue to learn as we go,” he said. “Today, for example, there was a lot more traffic than last week, especially on Broad Street. Unfortunately, many of our buses were stuck in traffic.”
Cardona said the district had not received any complaints about the delays this morning, only questions from parents wanting to know if the bus was still on its way to their child’s stop. Last week, the district made individual bus schedules available to parents through ParentSquare.
Robert Kosienski, chairman of the Meriden Board of Education, said the district is in active contact with bus provider First Student regarding the locations of delayed buses.
However, Kosienski said communication will become easier as First Student plans to launch its FirstView and ParentView applications for Meriden in late September or early October.
The new school buses arrived in the final weeks of the 2023-24 school year.
“Today was a good day,” Kosienski said. “The students had big smiles on their faces and our teachers are ready to start the school year.”
