The first week of school in Breda has resulted in crying children and angry parents at a number of special education schools. As of Monday, not all students were picked up on time or returned home on time, which leads to problems. “My child was all alone in the schoolyard,” says the still indignant mother Wendy.
It concerns three schools in special education where an as yet unknown number of children from Breda and the surrounding area went wrong in the first week of the new school year. These are students from Het Kasteel, Breda College and Ons SBO.
One of them is Liva from Breda, who attends the latter school. Her mother Wendy tells what happened to her seven-year-old daughter this week: “Liva was ready at half past eight on Monday morning with her coat on and her school bag to wait for the school taxi. But it only came at a quarter past eight and that is much too late. was also someone she did not know. That is strange, because there is always an introduction in advance. “
“My daughter just wasn’t picked up after school and that scares me.”
“To my horror, a taxi came afterwards with a lady who also came to pick up my child. I was very scared and, perhaps exaggerated, immediately thought of a kidnapping. Fortunately, that lady was very nice and said it was just a mess . That it was the third time this had happened that morning.”
On the way back things went completely wrong: Wendy’s daughter hadn’t even been picked up and was still at school. In the end, Wendy’s partner picked up Liva herself.
Things also went wrong on Tuesday and Liva was not picked up until a quarter past ten, while classes start at nine. And on Wednesday no one came at all. “She was waiting outside the window crying,” says mother Wendy. “I don’t blame the school for that, because the problem lies with transporter Connexxion and the municipality of Breda. Due to the cutbacks, it is already quite a job to request transport and the entire system has changed.”
“A conversation with Connexxion was cut short by hanging up the phone.”
Although the schools are indeed not responsible for student transport, director Simone Mante of Ons SBO from Breda easily dismissed the problems at the beginning of the week. “It’s a bit of a teething problem that comes with starting the new school year,” she said.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the situation turned out to be serious enough to inform the parents by letter. For example, you can read: ‘Unfortunately, we have found that the transport of some students from home to school and from school to home did not go well. (…) We think this is a great pity and have contacted the municipality of Breda, which is responsible for student transport. (…) The municipality is paying close attention to the problem and is looking for a solution.’
Wendy herself also contacted the municipality and Connexxion. “I have emailed Breda three times, but they don’t even respond,” she says, still annoyed. “And at Connexxion I was on hold for at least forty minutes every time and a call was even cut off by hanging up the phone.”
“I’m keeping my child at home for now, because I’m afraid she can’t go home anymore.”
The drivers on the Connexxion vans also say that things are not going well this week. “I have a new bus and the on-board computer is not working properly yet,” says one of them anonymously. “There are eighty vans and it takes a while before all drivers realize that. And there is a shortage of personnel everywhere. There are no major problems, so they shouldn’t come up with nonsense stories.”
Wendy, however, has a hard head that it will be ok soon. “I’m keeping my child at home for now,” she says. “She does come to school, I’m there myself, but will she also come home? I just don’t have the means to pick her up myself.”
The surnames of mother Wendy and daughter Liva have been omitted for privacy reasons.
