A parent of two children in the Providence school system spoke with GoLocal Thursday morning about the difficulties her family is facing with the bus strike.
Alesha Rodriguez-Williams spoke with GoLocal after dropping her son off at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School on Camp Street.
"I just got out of hospital yesterday for my third stroke in 10 months," said Rodriguez Williams. "I'm only 27 -- and taking him to school means taking the bus. I'm not supposed to be on the bus. I have motion sickness and photophobia."
"The busses are very important to us. There are people who cannot do this -- some of us just want to raise our kids and cannot do it the right way. This a very big issue," said Rodriguez-Williams.
"I've got two separate children in two separate schools. How am I going to get them both school on a bus for 9 o'clock and I can barely walk?"
Related Slideshow: 10 Things You Need to Know About Providence School Bus Strike
At the end of the day, the labor fight between the Teamsters Local 251 and First Student is about a pension fund.
The Teamsters want the company to make contributions to the union's pension fund and the British-owned bus company wants to make payments to a 401k fund.
Student First says the Teamsters pension fund is near collapse. The Teamsters say thanks to a major deal with UPS, the fund is stable.
"A rider must be at least 18 years of age to have an Uber account and request rides. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by someone 18 years of age or older on any ride.
As a driver-partner in a city that doesn't allow minors to ride, you should decline the ride request if you believe the person requesting the ride is under 18. When picking up riders, if you feel they are underage, you may request they provide a driver's license or ID card for confirmation. If a rider is underage, please do not start the trip or allow them to ride."
One parent with a special needs child told GoLocal last week that the city is offering no solutions.
As reported Saturday:
“We're definitely worried, we can't exactly put JJ on a RIPTA bus and say ‘have a good day’ even if we felt comfortable with putting a 12-year-old on the city bus,” Randy Lutz, a Providence parent, told GoLocalProv in an interview.
Lutz's son suffers from Cerebral Palsy -- "a group of chronic conditions affecting body movement and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development; before, during, or shortly after birth; or during infancy."
According to the official statement by the Providence School Department, “We are asking all families of school bus riders to arrange for alternate transportation. Please make sure that you provide your child's school with your updated contact information and the names of adults authorized for school pick-up.”
When a strike occurs, all field trips requiring school bus service will be canceled.
Will the strike affect athletics?
As we will not have transportation available, we will be canceling all middle school sports during a strike. High School athletes should check in with their coaches regarding revised practice and game schedules.
According to the Providence School Department, "The district will treat the first three days of student absences caused by disrupted school bus transportation as 'excused absences.' Excused absences are still considered absences but they do not count toward student truancy."
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