Bird-brained school-bus officials have scheduled a visually impaired 4-year-old student for pick-up at 5 a.m. — a full 3 1/2 hours before her school day starts, the girl’s stunned parents told The Post yesterday.
The military-like wake-up time was just the latest among a host of busing bungles that have stranded kids at home, made them late for school, or kept them on interminably long rides over the first two weeks of the school year, according to fed-up parents.
This includes a Brooklyn mom whose daughters are scheduled for pick-ups at bus stops three block apart — at the same time.
The snafus drove parents to protest outside the Department of Education’s Manhattan headquarters yesterday to demand that the city fix the mess.
“It’s really hard on me,” said Tameka Carter, who has complained for weeks that she’s expected to be at two bus stops at once every morning.
Adding to her stress, her third and youngest daughter hasn’t gotten yellow-bus service at all this school year.
The combination of foul-ups has forced Carter to drive Zoey to and from school every day and then scramble to get home in time for her other daughters’ drop-offs.
“I’m running around every day,” said the beleaguered mom.
Queens parents John and Regina Finnegan have already battled three busing insults for their 4-year-old daughter, Grace: first a late bus, then no bus — and now the looney pick-up time of 5 a.m.
“It’s crazy for any child to be picked up for school at that hour,” said a frustrated John Finnegan.
“My wife was so mad,” added the Middle Village dad. “She said they’re not picking up my daughter that early in the morning, and that was it.”
This is the first year that the department has bid out prekindergarten and early special-education busing contracts since taking over the reins from the Department of Transportation in 2006.
Many of the busing issues — including one company that defaulted on its contract — have affected kids with special needs.
The DOE awarded five-year contracts to 14 companies earlier this year — at a cost of $82.3 million annually.
“We’ve terminated the contract with the bus company that failed to meet our performance standards and will continue to work to ensure that all of our 140,000 bused students receive the service they deserve,” said DOE spokeswoman Margie Feinberg.