ST. LOUIS — Transportation troubles continue in St. Louis Public Schools three days into the new school year.
More parents have reached out to 5 On Your Side saying their kids still don't have a way to get to and from class. On top of that, many parents can't get a hold of anyone from the district's transportation office.
If you call the main SLPS transportation number, Kia Miller and ShaKara Green said all you'll get is ringing and more ringing. That's all they've heard since Monday morning.
"I think it's sad that parents can't even get someone to pick up the phone when they know people have this number to contact them," Miller said.
Their sons still haven't been picked up for class three days later.
As Green called the transportation line Wednesday afternoon, she said, "I call this number multiple times a day." She eventually reached a voicemail that said the mailbox was full. As for Miller, she said, "The phone just rings and rings, no voicemail, nothing."
Both of Miller's and Green's sons have special needs.
"It's not right. They deserve an education, too. Everybody deserves an education, and for the district not having everything in place so the kids can get it, it's disappointing," Miller said.
Their moms said this adds to the challenges the 6-year-old and 9-year-old face.
"Whether he has special needs or not, these kids have to be able to get to school. Every day, he gets overwhelmed. 'How am I getting to school today? Am I going to school today?' And he loves school. He loves to go. He loves to learn new and different things. But it's hard to look at his face and say, 'I don't know, buddy,'" Green said.
Miller and Green said they were never notified about their children's transportation plans this summer.
Miller, whose son Kamorion is in the 4th grade at Sigel Elementary School, said the school had no solutions. The school then directed Miller to call the transportation line.
"The school is telling me they can't do anything about it," Miller said.
It's the same situation with Green. Her son, Jermaine Whitfield Jr., is in the 1st grade at Stix Early Childhood Center. She finally reached someone at the transportation center Monday afternoon, but it ended badly.
"I guess Miss Brown did not like me asking many questions about my son's transportation. 'Can you get a cab until he gets a bus?' But no, I got cursed out and then hung up on Monday, and I haven't been able to reach anyone since. It's not like they don't have the means or cabs or busses to pick the kids up because you have two different cab companies that pick up my 16-year-old and my 13-year-old," Green said.
Green said if her son doesn't get transportation soon, she'll have to homeschool him and quit her job.
"It's gotten to the point where we're probably going to have to pull him out, and I'm going to have to do homeschool, and that sucks. He's 6. He needs that socialization with peers his age. If they can't get him to school, then there's no other option at this point," Green said.
The transportation issues have left Green feeling hopeless. She said, "I'm always advocating for his rights. To get so much pushback for something as small as transportation, which is what the district is supposed to supply for him, is overwhelming and frustrating. So I don't know. Where do we go from here? I'm still making phone calls. I'm still trying to reach out, but still not getting any answers."
Miller said it has become a financial burden as she has been buying Uber rides for her son to get to school.
"My cousin works at the school. She lives around the corner, so we walk to her house every morning so he can get in the Uber with her, and it's getting pretty expensive," she said.
5 On Your Side contacted SLPS regarding these ongoing concerns with the transportation line but has not yet received a response.