Parent demanding answers to busing drop-off fee

A High Prairie-area parent says she is not opposed to paying a transportation fee if there is a legitimate reason for it, but after more than a year of asking questions, she still feels she has not received a clear explanation from the High Prairie School Division (HPSD).

Samantha Niedzielski, who lives approximately 19 km from her children’s school, has been raising concerns about a proposed fee for alternate bus stop service and what she believes is a lack of transparency surrounding the charge.

Niedzielski says her concerns date back to June 2025, when another parent informed her that transportation staff had indicated fees could soon be introduced for alternate drop-off locations. The other parent used an alternate stop because her children were dropped off at a day home.

After hearing about the possibility of a fee, Niedzielski contacted HPSD for clarification.

Niedzielski says she was told at the time that HPSD was not planning to introduce a fee for alternate drop-offs.

That changed later in the summer.

At the end of August 2025, Niedzielski says she received a phone call from a transportation assistant asking whether she still required an alternate drop-off location.

When she confirmed she did, she says she was informed there would be a fee of $35 per child per month.

Seeking an explanation, Niedzielski began contacting HPSD administration and trustees.

She says she emailed transportation staff and local trustee Tammy Henkle, requesting information about the policy and rationale behind the fee. She also contacted trustees, including Supt. Murray Murran, asking for documentation that explained why the fee was being introduced.

Niedzielski says she repeatedly asked for a policy specifically outlining the fee structure but was told the matter was addressed through existing transportation policies.

Niedzielski says she was informed she could attend a board meeting to raise her concerns and was provided information about the delegation process.

Murran later responded, directing her to complete a delegation-to-the-board form and contact administrative staff with any additional questions, Niedzielski says.

Her concern was not limited to the fee itself.

Niedzielski says Alberta legislation and HPSD policies require boards to demonstrate and explain the need for fees charged to families. She says she repeatedly cited sections of HPSD policy she believes support that requirement.

In September 2025, she says she was informed that fees could be waived in cases of financial hardship.

Not long afterward, Niedzielski provided the board with policy excerpts addressing transparency and accountability in school fees. She says that resulted in a response from Murran indicating an error had occurred and that parents would be refunded.

A month later, however, Niedzielski says parents received a letter stating fees would be waived for that school year but that charges would be implemented the following year.

The issue resurfaced this spring. Niedzielski attended an HPSD board meeting on April 21, where she made a presentation regarding alternate transportation stops.

She argued that families should not be charged when students are being picked up or dropped off at a location already included on an existing bus route.

According to Niedzielski, the division’s proposed alternate stop program would allow eligible families to apply for alternate transportation service at a cost of $350 per year, subject to several conditions.

Those conditions include that the student must already be a transportation student, the stop must be located on an existing route, there must be room available on the bus and the arrangement must remain permanent throughout the school year.

For Niedzielski, the issue is particularly relevant because the alternate stop she uses is already on the regular route and is located closer to the school.

She says the stop is approximately four km from the school and does not require buses to travel any additional distance. Because of that, she questions why families are being charged an annual fee.

“If they have a reasonable explanation for the fee, I’m happy to pay it,” Niedzielski says.

“I’m just asking for some accountability.”

She says her frustration stems from what she views as an inability to get a clear explanation despite repeated requests.

July 7, Niedzielski sent an email to all trustees asking what need the fee was intended to address and why families should be required to pay it.

As of Aug. 4, Niedzielski says she had not received a response. The only reply she received was an automatic message indicating trustees were out of office until July 13.

“It seems like they just do whatever the superintendent wants,” Niedzielski says.

She adds she felt ignored during the board meeting where she presented her concerns.

Beyond cost, Niedzielski says the alternate stop option provides a practical and potentially safer solution for families who cannot always be home when buses arrive.

On days when she needs to go into High Prairie, she says there may be no one available at her residence to meet her children. Without an alternate stop arrangement, she says parents often have to pick children up directly from school.

According to Niedzielski, vehicle congestion around dismissal can become significant.

“If you don’t get there 30 minutes before the bell, you end up doing street pickup,” she says.

She says long lines of vehicles can extend onto nearby roads and streets, creating traffic challenges for families and buses alike.

Niedzielski says conditions became especially difficult during this past winter when snow accumulation reduced available space around the school. For that reason, she believes alternative pickup and drop-off locations closer to the school can help improve safety and convenience for families while making use of transportation routes that already exist.

At the centre of her concerns, however, remains a question she says has never been fully answered.

Niedzielski says she simply wants HPSD adminstration or trustees to clearly explain why the fee is necessary and how it aligns with its policies regarding school fees and transparency.

Sara Driedger
South Peace News