PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Families in Pickerington, Ohio, are voicing concerns over school bus delays, changing route information, and transfer confusion following the launch of Pickerington Schools’ new all-day kindergarten program for the 2026-27 school year.

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The district introduced free, full-day kindergarten this year at the new Pickerington Kindergarten Center, housed in the former Diley Middle School facility. Under the new transportation system, kindergarten students eligible for busing ride a neighborhood bus to an assigned elementary hub—such as Heritage Elementary or Violet Elementary—where staff guide them onto a shuttle bound for the kindergarten center. The transfer procedure is repeated in reverse at the end of the school day.

During the initial days, several parents reported significant delays and communication breakdowns. Katie Cleary, a mother of four students in the district, reported that her kindergartener arrived home 50 minutes late on the first day, while her second grader was permitted to ride the bus despite not appearing on the driver’s official roster. Cleary has since organized a parent survey to collect feedback for district leaders.

Another parent, Jazzlyn Millberry, described receiving delayed and conflicting information after her son’s shuttle arrived at Heritage Elementary at 4:28 p.m. instead of the scheduled 3:45 p.m. Millberry said staff initially told her her son could not board his neighborhood bus home because a seat belt was unavailable. The contracted bus provider, Petermann Transportation, later informed her that seat belts are generally not supplied unless specified in a student’s individualized education program. Heritage Elementary subsequently issued a delay notification to families at 4:35 p.m. through BusRight, the district’s transportation management application.

Other families faced scheduling errors prior to the start of classes. Justin Howell reported that his kindergartener and second grader were initially assigned separate morning and afternoon bus stops despite traveling to the same elementary school, though the district eventually corrected the mistake.

Pickerington Schools Superintendent Charles Smialek acknowledged the early operational issues, including instances where some kindergarteners boarded the wrong shuttles. Smialek stated that misrouted children remained supervised at all times and were brought back to the kindergarten center before being redirected.

To resolve the problems, district officials have implemented several operational changes. Backpacks now carry a second identification tag specifying each student’s neighborhood bus and shuttle details. Additionally, staff access to the BusRight platform has been expanded across both the kindergarten center and elementary schools to improve real-time tracking and communication.

Source: NBC4 Columbus — Original report

Wararka Af-Soomaaliga

Pickerington: Waalidiinta oo ka cawday dib-u-dhaca baabuurta Kindergarten-ka

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Waalidiinta ardayda ka tirsan degmada Pickerington Schools ee gobolka Ohio ayaa muujiyay walaac xooggan oo ku saabsan dib-u-dhaca baabuurta dugsiga, isbeddelka waddooyinka, iyo jahwareerka ka dhashay nidaamka gaadiidka ee barnaamijka cusub ee kindergarten-ka ee sannad-dugsiyeedka 2026-27.

Degmada ayaa sannadkan bilowday barnaamij lacag-la’aan ah oo maalin oo dhan ah oo loogu talagalay kindergarten-ka, kaas oo lagu qabto xarunta cusub ee Pickerington Kindergarten Center, oo markii hore ahayd dhismaha Diley Middle School. Nidaamkan cusub ee gaadiidka, ardayda u qalanta baabuurta waxay marka hore raacaan baabuurka xaafadda iyagoo tagaya dugsi hoose oo loo cayamay—sida Heritage Elementary ama Violet Elementary—halkaas oo shaqaaluhu ay ugu hagayaan baabuurta shuttle-ka ah ee u socda xarunta kindergarten-ka. Nidaamkaas mid ka mid ah ayaa loo adeegsadaa galabtidii marka ardayda guriga loo celinayo.

Maalmihii ugu horreeyay ee dugsiga, waalidiin badan ayaa ka cawday dib-u-dhac weyn iyo warbixinno is-burinaya. Katie Cleary, oo afar cunug oo ka tirsan degmada ay dugsiyo kala duwan ka dhigtaan, ayaa sheegtay in cunugeeda kindergarten-ka uu guriga soo gaaray 50 daqiiqo oo dib-u-dhac ah maalintii ugu horreysay. Waxay sidoo kale sheegtay in cunugeeda fasalka labaad uu raacay baabuurka inkastoo magaciisu uusan ku qornayn liiska darawalka. Cleary ayaa markii dambe abuurtay sahan waalidiinta u gaar ah si ay xogta ugu gudbiso madaxda degmada.

Waalid kale oo lagu magacaabo Jazzlyn Millberry ayaa sheegtay in shuttle-ka uu cunugeeda siday uu Heritage Elementary gaaray 4:28 p.m. iyadoo la qorsheeyay 3:45 p.m. Millberry waxay tilmaamtay in shaqaaluhu u sheegeen in cunugeedu uusan raaci karin baabuurka xaafadda maadaama uusan lahayn suunka kursiga (seat belt). Shirkadda gaadiidka ee Petermann Transportation ayaa markii dambe u sheegtay in suunka kursiga aan inta badan la bixinin ilaa uu qeyb ka yahay barnaamijka waxbarashada gaarka ah ee ardayga. Sidoo kale, dugsiga Heritage Elementary ayaa 4:35 p.m. waalidiinta fariin dib-u-dhac ah ugu diray app-ka BusRight.

Justin Howell ayaa isna sheegay in markii hore cunugeeda kindergarten-ka ah iyo kan fasalka labaad loo kala asign gareeyay baabuurro iyo istaagyo kala duwan subaxdii iyo galabtiiba, inkastoo ay labaduba ka bilaabanayeen dugsiga Violet Elementary. Degmada ayaa markii dambe saxday gabood-falka ahaa calaamadaynta baabuurta.

Kormeeraha degmada Pickerington Schools, Charles Smialek, ayaa qiray in dhibaatooyin jireen maalmihii ugu horreeyay, oo ay ka mid tahay in ardayda qaarkood ay raaceen baabuurro shuttle ah oo galay waddo makala ah. Smialek wuxuu sheegay in ardaydaas ay mar walba ku jireen ilaalinta shaqaalaha oo dib loogu soo celiyay xarunta kindergarten-ka marka la ogaaday in dugsi kale lagu dhex tuuray. Wuxuu intaa ku daray in waqti ka mid ah ardaydu aynan ahayn kuwo aan la ilaalinin, wuxuuna sheegay inuu fahamsan yahay sababta waalidiintu u berri karaan.

Si loo xalliyo dhibaatadan, degmada ayaa sameysay isbeddelo muhiim ah. Boorsada ardayda kindergarten-ka ayaa meel muuqata loogu xiray calaamad labaad oo muujinaysa baabuurka xaafadda iyo shuttle-ka ee loogu talagalay. Sidoo kale, degmada waxay kordhisay marin-u-helka shaqaalaha ee app-ka BusRight si ay xogta gaadiidka si toos ah ula socdaan shaqaalaha xarunta kindergarten-ka iyo kuwa dugsiyada hoose.

Xigasho: NBC4 Columbus