I began my job as a bus driver for Hudson City Schools to stay close to my children. I had been a stay at home mom for ten years and hated the thought of being away from them. Driving bus offered me the opportunity to be with my children and as a newly single mom, that seemed like the perfect solution to my new lifestyle. I was insured my children could ride with me and it has been a saving grace, with not having to find and pay for a sitter and not having to worry about my children's safety.

This is my fourth year driving bus, and now as winter approaches and I have a good system implemented for the care of my children, the Superintendent; Mr. Farnsworth, has issued a policy that prohibits my children from riding.

Now my two youngest children are left alone for 15 minutes and expected to get themselves on the bus (3rd and 5th grader), and I am left wondering if they are getting to school. And my oldest who used to ride with me until my last stop and walked the rest of the way home, has now lost that opportunity. Even if it was sitting on my bus doing homework or staring out the window, he sacrificed to have that time with me.

My children are not picked up or drop off out of my route path. They were not shown preferential treatment. I am held accountable by all my actions by bus aides and by a camera that runs continuously on my bus.

Mr. Farnsworth's reasoning for implementing this policy is that HE believes that my children are a distraction and that I am creating an unsafe environment for the other children on my bus. There is no statistical foundation for this argument. There isn't any Federal, State or local laws or policies that prohibit my children riding my bus.

I believe this policy to be biased and unfair. I find the opinion held against me without foundation and offensive.

I plan to oppose this policy tomorrow December 3rd in front of the Transportation committee. I hope to be able to gain the support of those on the committee and give Mr. Farnsworth some accountability to his decision making.