By Melissa Byrd

We all experience problems from time to time with services or even our schools. How we handle those issues can be the difference between a quick resolution and more frustration.  

This past week, I experienced two different situations that I thought were interesting examples of efficient and inefficient problem-solving in a digital world. Both of them revolved around bus transportation in OCPS. 

Two different parents were concerned about bus stops for their children. One felt that the bus stop was unsafe, and the other wanted a quicker drop-off in the afternoon. Here is where our digital options came into play. One sent an email to me, and one posted the concern on a social media group. 

I’m sure you can imagine which issue got handled more effectively. The parent who emailed me was quickly routed to the correct people within transportation and a resolution was found that worked for everyone. 

In fact, we received an email last night thanking us for the quick, thoughtful and professional handling of the issue by staff. “I am very appreciative of the responsiveness, professionalism, and compassion that went into reaching this outcome,” the parent said. 

The other issue that was posted on social media, I didn’t see it until a friend of mine happened to see it and sent it to me. I was able to then screenshot it and send it to the appropriate staff to look into. This added a significant delay in response and makes it more difficult for me or staff to respond to this parent if we cannot find a way to communicate with them directly.  

I am hopeful that the second issue can be resolved in a positive way, just like the first one, but I do wish that when community members or parents have struggles or questions, they would reach out directly to the people who can help.  

My role as your school board member is to help parents and community members have a tremendous experience with OCPS. There are many options for educating our children, and I still believe OCPS is the best option. 

If you encounter an issue that a teacher or principal cannot solve for you, or if your issue falls under another department, you are always welcome to reach out to me for assistance at: melissa.byrd@ocps.net.