Dear Gruening Families,

I am writing this letter to inform you about a bus incident that happened yesterday morning on Bus 623. First, I want to sincerely apologize for what happened and for the delay in communication. The Anchorage School District’s mass communication system has been down for a few days and I apologize that we have not been able to get this message out sooner. Our immediate concern was focused on the students and the families that were affected by this unfortunate situation on bus 623.

As the bus was leaving JBER, the driver went over a speed bump too quickly, and several students were jolted from their seats and injured. All students were evaluated at the school by our nurses, and a few had to seek additional medical support. 

Our staff acted immediately to care for students. Two school nurses, including our nurse here at Gruening and one from Homestead Elementary, responded right away to help assess and support students. All 47 students who were on the bus were evaluated.

Reliant Transportation, our bus contractor, was notified immediately and is conducting an incident investigation along with ASD transportation. The driver will no longer be allowed to transport ASD students.

The safety of our students is always our top priority. We are reviewing transportation safety procedures closely with Reliant Transportation to make sure this does not happen again. The district is also working with our mass communication software contractor to ensure this service will be restored soon.

I am truly sorry this happened to Gruening students, and from all of us at GMS we send them our support as they recover. I appreciate your understanding and patience. If you have any questions, or if your child needs any additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly here at the school.

Sincerely,

James Bell
Principal, Gruening Middle School
(907) 742-3602