Ashwaubenon school buses break down in cold

ASHWAUBENON - It's believed the cold morning temperatures are the cause of bus problems for Ashwaubenon schools. And that meant when the buses stopped running, the children were at risk – stuck on the bus or out in the cold.

School district officials say nine buses broke down Tuesday morning. All started fine, but at some point stopped cold.

District officials couldn't say how many students were left waiting in the cold for their bus, or for how long. And because so many buses were affected, the bus company – Lamers – didn't have enough vehicles to relieve the struggling ones.

Those that did break down did have heat. The students who took the buses that broke down did get to school, but late.

District officials say parents were notified about the issue, but it acknowledges the information could have come out sooner.

"We know that we need to get that alert out sooner,” said Keith Lucius, Assistant Superintendent with the Ashwaubenon School District. “Because this is a problem we've never had before, we didn't have a process in place for communicating with parents quickly and have those things ready. We will communicate, if this happens again, much earlier and be much more prepared."

Lamers would not comment.

Lucius says it’s believed fuel played a role in the problems. He says the district and Lamers are working to ensure the same problem doesn't happen again.   

The district typically looks at wind chill temperatures as a gauge for closing school - to protect the students. But that, Lucius says, may change if actual temperatures continue to cause mechanical issues.