LAS CRUCES----The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education voted Friday to withdraw a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO)that was keeping school bus drivers from initiating a union labor strike. As a result, the school district’s legal counselrequested that the TROpreviously approved by 3rd Judicial District Judge James Martin be withdrawn. The TRO was the first step prior to seeking a permanent injunction, said Jo Galvan, LCPS spokesperson. Removal of the TRO now opens the doors for bus driversto proceed with a union strike against their employer, STS-New Mexico, if they so choose, Galvan said.
“We will follow the School Board’s directive and withdraw our initial court action to prevent the strike from occurring,” said Superintendent Stan Rounds. “We are not privy to whether the strike will proceed, so all parents have to be aware there is a potential for bus disruption and parents will need to get their children to school if a strike is called.”
The earliest a strike could occur would be Monday, April 11, officials said. Galvan said immediately upon the school district becoming aware of the strike, parents will be notified as early as possible by several methods. Parents should monitor the school district’s website (www.lcps.k12.nm.us), listen for automated telephone calls in English and Spanish, watch for an announcement on the district’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LCPublicSchools), check e-mails from their child’s school or monitor local news media for additional information.
Rounds said if there is a bus strike, the only children who will be provided transportation are those with special needs, which includes special education and developmentally delayed children.
“STS has committed to have enough drivers or other members of its staff to be able to transport our most fragile children,” Rounds said. “Unfortunately, a strike prevents the company from being able to provide full service for the rest of our school community.”
If a strike occurs, parents will need to drive their child to school, carpool, or consider having their children walk with neighbors or another adult of their choice. If they need to have a different adult pick up their child at the end of the school day, they should notify the school of the name of the alternate person who will have to present an ID upon arrival for the student, officials said.
“I understand this may create difficulty for some families,” Rounds added. “If we face a bus strike, I need to ask parents to follow the school’s guidance on traffic coming in-and-out of the parking lots, since we’ll have many more drivers getting children to schools.”
In addition, any child who is late or misses school, and who is a registered bus rider, can bring a note from the parent to have the absence excused, Galvan said. She added that should a strike occur, field trips or athletic events may have to be cancelled.
The bus drivers are not employees of the school district. They are hired directly by STS-NM, which has a contract with LCPS through June 30, 2016. The district had originally sought the TRO because there are more than 7,300 students who ride the school buses daily, Rounds said.
On Wednesday, March 30, the unionsrepresenting the bus drivers — Las Cruces Transportation Federation #6341 and American Federation of Teachers New Mexico— indicated to the school district a strike was imminent after their bargaining negotiations with STS stalled.