CLEVELAND — The first day of school is in the books for most Cleveland Metropolitan School District students following a violent summer and previous school year.
One mother of 16-year-old triplets is worried about her sons riding public transportation to and from class. But we've learned the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority collaborated with the district and police with student safety in mind.
RTA said the first joint meeting was held back in March.
Carol Pennington has rules for her two boys when they catch the RTA in Gordon Square each morning.
"Texting when they get on the bus," Pennington said.
She keeps track of their route to and from John Hay High School.
They started back last week.
It's not the same routine for their sister, who started school today at Bard High School Early College Cleveland.
Pennington said she won't allow her daughter to ride the RTA.
"I think there's safety in numbers, so my sons ride to school together. With my daughter, I choose to just take her to school," Pennington said.
Pennington said her boys dealt with situations on the RTA that made them feel unsafe.
"I would love to get a bunch of Cleveland school parents as parent ambassadors to kind of help support these kids on the RTA in the morning," Pennington said.
Three CMSD students died last school year, including an 18-year-old boy at a bus stop near John Adams High School.
"It's concerning; it's scary. Quite honestly," Pennington said.
RTA said it and CMSD collaborated with Cleveland Police on school safety, developing potential procedures like adjusting dismissal times and bus times and providing after-school activities until a bus arrives.
Part of it would help disburse students quicker from school grounds.
RTA said CMSD also provided a list of four priority high schools, including John Adams, John F. Kennedy, Garrett Morgan and John Marshall, to increase school safety.
The solutions would be continuously evaluated.
"The majority of our kids they're doing the right thing," said Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek.
Polensek heads up the Council Safety Committee.
He said he was out in his community on the first day back to school and has a message for concerned students and parents.
"I would say to any of them if you see something, say something on your way to school," Polensek said.
Pennington said she is confident the district will do everything it can to keep kids safe in schools. Just getting there is her biggest concern.
"There's a lot going on on the first day of school, and I think one of the things our kids should not be worried about is being safe getting there or getting home," Pennington said.
RTA said its transit police will have biweekly meetings with CMSD police and CPD to share intelligence and make themselves well-known in hot spots.
CLICK HERE to read more about the collaboration between RTA, CMSD and CPD.
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