Northside ISD parent says bus waits exceed 2 hours for magnet school student

A Northside Independent School District parent says ongoing school bus delays and missed pickups are disrupting her son’s education and leading to attendance warnings, highlighting transportation challenges the district says are tied to traffic and staffing shortages.

Brianne Armstrong said her son, who attends a Northside ISD magnet school, has taken the same bus route from near their home since ninth grade. But this school year, she said, the routine has become unpredictable.

“He’s waited over two hours,” Armstrong said.

Late or missed buses have led to notices that her son was marked absent.

“I shouldn’t be getting notices saying my son is absent four times and you run the risk of having to go to court for his absences, when a lot of these are because of the bus,” Armstrong said.

Northside ISD confirmed bus delays in some areas, including West Side and Alamo Ranch routes, as well as longer-distance routes serving magnet schools.

The district said heavy traffic and staffing shortages are contributing to the problem. Northside ISD said it is short 42 bus drivers and 17 bus attendants.

Armstrong said she was told in late September that the district was working on the issue, but the delays have continued. She said the situation has become so frustrating that she is considering pulling her son out of the magnet school.

“Why are we advertising magnet schools can be taken, you can be picked up anywhere in the city and go to a magnet school?” Armstrong said. “That shouldn’t be a selling point if you can’t hold up your end of the bargain.”

There are other frustrations over the bus situation, including an app that she says is not often updated or is unreliable.

Armstrong said her next step is to contact the school board and her elected representative as she continues pushing for a solution.

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