www.northhavencitizen.com
Volume 18, Number 42
Friday, October 20, 2023
Bus drivers claim criticisms from community “hurtful” By Michael Savino Special to The Citizen
Ongoing conversations about the school district’s bus service led to a contentious back-and-forth between some drivers and the Board of Education chairman during a recent meeting. A few parents criticized the bus service at the board’s Oct. 12 meeting, saying promises by M&J Bus Company haven’t resulted in consistent pickups and dropoffs for students. One parent told the board he started a petition demanding the board terminate its contract with M&J. Executives for the company were not at the meeting, but two bus drivers responded by calling the comments hurtful.
A Night in the Pumpkin Patch, a Drive-Through Event, will kick off Oct. 20 in North Haven. Submitted photo
Drive-thru Pumpkin Patch set for this weekend By Grace McFadden Special to The Citizen
Families looking for fallthemed fun this weekend can head to the Landing of North Haven for A Night at the Pumpkin Patch: A DriveThrough Event. The Pumpkin Patch is filled with spectacles and pumpkins carved by volunteers. For $10 a car, visitors can drive through on kid-friendly Friday night, Oct. 20, or spookier Saturday night, Oct. 21. The drive through runs 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Local businesses and organizations, like the Daytime Gardeners of North Haven and the North Haven Library, do displays for the drive-through. The event is organized by Jill DeChello, the editor of North Haven Magazine and a local events organizer. “The students carve the pumpkins. It's a community service hour thing,” DeChello said. The drive-through is a fundraiser, and the money will go to benefit the North
Haven Education Foundation. In years past, this event has benefited the North Haven Lions Club and the North Haven Rotary Club. “I move where the money goes. I try to move it every event,” said DeChello. DeChello said the event is only a few years old. “The pumpkin patch came about during COVID because there was nothing for kids,” DeChello said. As it turns out, the event was See Patch, A7
“We need your support and the parents’ support, as well as everything else, because it makes our jobs harder,” April Wisniewski said. “We take it personally when we are bashed on forums.” That prompted board Chairman Ronald Bathrick to say the criticisms were directed at the company, and not the drivers. He also said M&J has to bring problems raised by drivers to the board. “It’s not our job to go to him and say ‘you know what, we can fix this,’” Bathrick said, referencing M&J Bus Company Chief Operating Officer Jon Hipsher. Hipsher did share plans at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting to improve bus service. Parents had complained about unreliable service, with pickup and dropoff times varying a lot. “They come up with new policies and procedures and they say they’ll follow, but they don’t seem to,” Kyle said. He added he had a petition with 130 signatures from parents who wanted to end the contract with M&J. Fellow parent Michelle Leomo also said service hadn’t improved. Bathrick said the school board and district officials were trying to push M&J to improve. “We are actively engaged in a conversation about M&J, that’s all I can say about that,” he said. But Wisniewski and Deanna Fusco said they were hurt by the criticism. See Bus, A5