Students within the Springfield City School District are not safe taking school buses to and from campus, a verified employee who has worked for the district for half a decade told Blaze News’ Julio Rosas.
Blaze News has chosen to keep the employee anonymous after the district sent an email, which was reviewed by Blaze News, encouraging its staff not to speak to the media.
‘Our law enforcement, our fire department, everywhere has exhausted its resources because of this influx.’
The worker told Rosas, “If you value your safety, don’t come here. It’s not worth it.”
The employee stated that the entire town is “suffering” because of the massive influx of Haitian nationals who have arrived in the city in recent years.
The flood of new arrivals has led to an increase in non-English-speaking students entering the school system, which, the worker said, has put a strain on the entire district.
According to the staff member, the most significant concern facing the school district is maintaining the safe transportation of students to and from its campuses.
The Springfield City School District comprises 17 schools from preschool through 12th grade, serving approximately 7,700 students, its website states.
“We want to safely take your kids to school,” the employee told Blaze News. “We want to give you that peace of mind.”
“Unfortunately, we have no control of what happens outside [the bus],” the worker explained. “We only have control of what happens inside.”
Many local residents have raised concerns that the influx of Haitian nationals to Springfield and the surrounding municipalities has led to a substantial increase in traffic accidents — some of them deadly.
On the first day of school in August 2023, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed after the bus he was riding was struck by an unlicensed Haitian driver. The rollover accident also sent 20 other students to the hospital.
The school district employee explained that many individuals in the community are running the buses’ stop signs.
“It’s not just Haitians doing it; it’s Springfield people too,” the worker told Blaze News.
The employee explained that the community’s resources are “exhausted” due to the influx of new arrivals. According to 2020 Census data, the total population in Springfield was nearly 60,000. However, in recent years, roughly 20,000 Haitian nationals have relocated to the city.
“Our law enforcement, our fire department, everywhere has exhausted its resources because of this influx. It’s not just within the school district, but it’s everywhere. It’s really bad,” the worker stated.
The employee expressed concerns that the strained resources would result in a slower response time from emergency services if another serious bus accident were to happen.
Rosas previously interviewed David Cook, owner and operator of the Plastic Lumber Store in Springfield, who told him that many of the district’s students were scared to get back on the bus after the fatal crash last year.
The school district employee confirmed that the children fear riding the bus to and from school.
“Are the kids safe on those school buses?” Rosas asked.
“If you put in all the factors, the outside factors, no,” the employee replied.
The school district did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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