Leo Pedron responded during public comment at the Sept. 19 Northwestern Lehigh School Board meeting.

His concern was overcrowding, especially on bus 19.

He lives along Silver Creek Court, Kutztown, and brought with him a wooden mock-up of a bus seat.

Pedron said the seats are 39 inches wide and no one is supposed to place parts of their body or supplies they are carrying in the aisle.

He asked two students to come sit on his bus seat, and then added a third.

Elementary students are to sit three to a seat. Middle and high schoolers sit two to a seat.

While the bus is rated at a 52-student capacity it often has 69 students, he told the board.

Pedron said his daughter’s shoulders measure 15 inches and three of them would require 45 inches, not 39, to fit in the width of the seat.

Karen Ritter said her daughter is first on the bus between 7:05 a.m. and 7:10 a.m.

With extra curricular activities, she gets home late and has to get up early to catch the bus.

The routes are software generated and she asked if they were checked by people.

Jennifer Almonti said the buses are responsible for taking students to 21 other schools.

“If I want to send my daughter to another school I would consider it (transportation) my responsibility,” she said.

Board President Bill Dellicker said the bus 19 route had been in use for 18 years with no problems.

Superintendent Jennifer Holman said the state requires the district to provide transportation to private and other nonpublic schools within a 10-mile radius of the home school accounting for the 21 other schools.

Buses leave the garage at 6 a.m. and cover 800,000 miles per year in 110 square miles.

Some 116 new students had to be added to the bus roster. There are 17 buses and the limit is exceeded and it has to be worked on.

All high schoolers arrive within one hour but then there is a delay until they get to the middle school.

No one is released until all buses are in and shut down which causes the delay.

Hardships are the ridership miles to religious schools and partially paved and dirt roads. Parents’ expectations have also changed.

The issue will be put on the workshop agenda for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3.

The public is invited to attend but does not participate.

In other business: Dellicker said the mold issue at the middle school had been handled well by the administration, transparency to parents, contractors, teachers and custodians.

The Transportation Department stepped up and delivered 350 middle schoolers to Weisenberg Elementary until it was safe at the middle school.

Food service provided the extra meals at Weisenberg.

He thanked parents for being understanding and does not know how it could have been handled better.

Holman said the mold challenges were found the end of August and logistics were planned in the next few days.

Weisenberg needed furniture for the extra students. Supplies were quickly delivered and the team teaching from the middle school taught the lessons.

Air quality was tested when the heat was turned on.

A school safety roundtable was held. Discussed were administration law enforcement both proactive and reactive, mental health and training with first responders.

Scott Shearer was present to talk about refinancing 2014 bonds. The state reimbursement rate may change.

Of four places he checked 2 percent was the minimum cost. On the second week of October he will have better information on the 7.5 million in bonds.

Assistant Superintendent Joshua Ziatyk said one of the policies that has been worked on concerns contracted security service, weapons and law enforcement.

Leann Stitzel, director of curriculum and technology, said the state requires changes to the home school rules.

Kyle Grim was hired for Northwestern Elementary physical education. He was from the Valley but is returning happily from Chester and is glad to be in the elementary level.

A grant of $25,000 was received from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency with an additional school security grant to be determined by Oct. 10.

A police interceptor SUV was purchased for $34,000 for school police use. From the student activity fund, events scheduled are the homecoming dance, Oct. 6; a DJ for the prom, May 26; Civic Theater for “A Christmas Carol,” Weisenberg fourth grade, Dec. 12; and the ballet, The Nutcracker, Weisenberg fifth grade, Dec. 12.