Seneca Nation boycotts bus service

By Vanessa Thomas News Staff Reporter

About 600children from the Seneca Nation of Indians attending Gowanda and Lake Shoreschool districts will mark their first day back at school Tuesday without ridingon the school bus.

That's because Seneca Nation President Barry E. Snyder has signed an executive order banning Carrier Coach from entering the Cattaraugus Reservation for 60 days. The bus company is under contract with the state Department of Education.

Snyder blamed the ban on problems over the past year, including missed pickups, buses without functioning heaters and injured children.

Snyder said one incident involved a bus accident in which the children were transferred to another bus without receiving any medical attention. At least two of those children were transported to a hospital emergency room after their arrival at school, he said.

Seneca officials are asking parents to take their children to school and encouraging neighbors to carpool.

Officials also are working to provide limited transportation from the Saylor Building. Also, Seneca Nation employees are being granted a one-hour-per-day administrative leave to take their children to school.

The Seneca Nation Head Start program also will delay the start of classes for one week so their buses can be used for transporting students to school.

"The safety of our children is our main concern," Snyder said Sunday. "There are certain things we expect for the sake of our children's well-

being and safety, but their policies aren't being followed.

"We want Carrier Coach and the State of New York to realize that we're very concerned about this. Our message seems to be falling on deaf ears."

Neither Carrier Coach nor the state Department of Education could be reached to comment Sunday.

Children in the Silver Creek School District, which has its own buses, are not affected.