BOSTON, MA - Boston Public Schools’ bus operation is off to a troubling start, with 40% of buses failing to depart or arrive at school on time. When questioned about the delays, Mayor Wu blamed them on a newly implemented bus tracking app and an “unprecedented wave of new registrations right as school was starting.” This is yet another instance of the Mayor deflecting responsibility and shifting blame while students are left waiting for hours for buses to pick them up and bring them home.

The delays don’t seem to concern the Wu Administration, particularly Boston Public Schools’ press secretary, Max Baker, whose tone remains deeply unserious. In an email to BPS at the beginning of the school year, as reported in the Herald, he sent an email out to colleagues stating, “I was thinking about all the days I would be sitting by the beach, wearing shorts all day, drinking mai tais… And while I’m mourning the loss of my carefree fruity rum drinks (I’m switching back to martinis because they really take the edge off), I can think of 500 people who are absolutely stoked to be back in school.” We’re confident that the parents who waited hours for their children to return home were far from “stoked.”

MassGOP Chairwoman, Amy Carnevale, commented on the delays stating, “There is no excuse for bus delays, especially after an entire summer to prepare for this fundamental responsibility of the school system. There is no excuse for the ridiculous demeanor of the BPS press secretary. Working parents must be able to count on the schools to bring their children home on time, as even an hour’s delay can disrupt work schedules, with potentially severe consequences for their families. There’s nothing funny or cute about being preposterously unprepared for the school year. These delays are absolutely unacceptable, and Mayor Wu’s inadequate response coupled with BPS’s spokesperson’s frivolous attitude towards his job shows a blatant disregard for the needs of Boston’s families.”