School districts are being warned they might have problems getting fuel for school buses this week.

The State Department of Public Instruction says fuel vendors are saying that Hurricane Ike has disrputed their fuel supplies. This has left some school districts with only a day or two of fuel remaining.

While Wake says it's ok, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools is in emergency mode after having not gotten two shipments of fuel. Charlotte has cancelled field trips, middle school sports and tutoring to conserve its supply. 

UPDATE

Read Charlotte's press release.

Today's newspaper doesn't have a lot of great news for Wake's school transportation department.

As noted in an article by Kinea, a first-grade student from Stough Elementary was dropped off at the wrong stop last week. It's at least the third time it's happened this school year.

In a separate article in the North Raleigh News, a mother of a Hilburn Drive Elementary first-grader said her son's first two weeks on the bus were nightmarish. She said his bus broke down twice, didn't come once and injured him when his foot was caught in the door.

How Wake school transportation leaders determine how a safe walk zone has been recently challenged by parents of Sycamore Creek Elementary School and could lead to the school board looking into whether there should be written guidelines.

The school district currently does not have written guidelines on how they determine a safe walk zone. Students who live 1 1/2 miles from a school can walk unless the area is deemed unsafe.

As noted in today's North Raleigh and Midtown News story, Wake school leaders say they look at the number of cars on the road, the path students take and the speed limit. But Sycamore Creek parents questioned those methods after officials said it was safe for their students to walk near busy Leesville Road to get to school. Transportation officials have since said that all Sycamore Creek students will be provided bus transportation for this school year.

At yesterday's school board meeting, Sycamore parent Eric Blau told board members that more official guidelines needed to be in place.

School board member Patti Head said in the article that this could be an issue that the school board discusses.

Here's the memo outlining the specifics on how Wake hopes to make sure kindergarten and first-grade students get to and from school without incident this year.

The memo, which was referenced to in a prior post, lays out the specifics about the identifying information that should be on the name tags for these young bus riders.

The memo also says that kindergarten and first-grade students should sit on the right side of the bus, beginning with the first seat. If possible, they're to be seated by stop location.

Whether these steps avoid a repeat of how two young children were dropped off at the wrong location last month remains to be seen.

It's going to be tomorrow before the student enrollment for the first day is available.

Michael Evans, Wake's chief communications officer, said the total won't be available today because of delays getting the information back from all the schools.

In addition, Evans disputed a media report that said there were widespread bus problems today. He acknowledged there were "glitches." But he said there have only been a few complaints, similar to what you'd normally find on the opening of school.

"It's not coming unglued like one would think if there were rampant problems," Evans said.

With traditional-calendar schools opening in just a few days, the school district is again trying to reassure parents of young bus riders that their kids will be safe.

In a new memorandum to Superintendent Del Burns, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Don Haydon lists the steps that are being taken to avoid a repeat of last month's bus miscues with young children.

For instance, Haydon said bus drivers are being reminded that they're to take children to school even if they get on the wrong bus. Once at the nearest school, they'll figure out how to get the child to the right school.

You might see some news reports today about a new hotline for reporting school bus drivers who are violating the state's seat belt and cell phone laws.

But before you add the number to your phone contact lists, keep in mind that Wake isn't participating right now. The hotline is meant, for now at least, for four school districts: Cabarrus, Winston-Salem/Forsyth and Guilford County School Systems as well as the Mooresville Graded School District.

It's against the law for bus drivers to operate their vehicle while using a cell phone or not wearing a seat belt. In the four districts in the pilot program, stickers stating the laws along with the hotline phone number are being placed inside each school bus and activity bus.

Calls to (919) 807-3580 will be referred to transportation supervisors in the appropriate school system. DPI plans to monitor the effectiveness of the program during the first weeks of school before expanding it to other school systems.

Wake has posted the bus routes and bus stops for the traditional-calendar schools.

Click here for a link listing the info for each school. The school district says parents are "encouraged" to review the info, which is probably a good idea considering the bus miscues so far this year.

"Routes are developed by the Transportation Department based on student enrollment and then are refined during the first weeks of school as the Transportation Department determines the students that have decided to use bus service," according to Wake's press release.

You can file a written appeal if you don't like the location or route. Click here to download the appeal form.

The school district is trying to reassure the public that it's taking seriously two recent incidents in which young children were dropped off the bus at the wrong location.

"The Transportation Department of the Wake County Public School System is committed to the safe transportation of students to and from schools every day," writes Don Haydon, chief facilities and operations officer, in a memo to Superintendent Del Burns. "The fact that the recent unacceptable student transportation incidents occurred - despite the focus on student safety and continuous reinforcement of practices and procedures - has triggered the need to again review those practices and procedures."

Haydon outlines various steps that have and will be taken.

What should be the penalty for a school bus driver who drops a student off at the wrong stop?

As noted in today's article, Amanda Medlin thinks the driver who let her 5-year-old boy off four miles from home shouldn't be allowed back behind the wheel. The driver, according to Medlin, is now running a different route.

School officials said they disciplined the driver. Medlin calls it a "slap on the wrist" to allow the driver to still be operating a bus.