Naacp Dayton organizes the meeting to discuss changes after the death of Dunbar Student

Dayton, Ohio (WKEF) – The meeting table was full on Monday afternoon when local and state representatives discussed the security of bus safety for Dayton Public School and Charter School.

18-year-old Alfred Hale, a student of the Dunbar High School, was killed in April near the RTA center in the Jefferson Street while waiting for a bus. This led to discussions with Dayton City Leaders, state representatives and Dayton Public Schools about how student bus routes can be kept away from the inner city areas. DPS currently does not have yellow buses to transport their 9-12 students and asks them to drive public RTA routes to get to school.

“The students told us that they prefer to be in their yellow bus with their colleagues,” said Dr. Derrick L. Foward, President of Naacp Dayton.

“The reason why we are working with legislation is to find some of the better opportunities to improve these options in order to make Dayton in its entirety a safer place, a safer city. And it begins to bring our young people to safety,” added the Mayor of Dayton, Jeffrey Mims.

The state representative Phil Plummer has campaigned for a change in the state's operating budget, with which DPS would prevent the transfer of students in the RTA hub in the city center. He said executives have to take care of local children.

“We saw where it is not safe. It takes a long time for our children to go to school, return home, and it is simply not the right thing for our children. They know that they are our precious gifts. So we have to take care of our children.

They said that the nationwide transport system was outdated, so that the solution that the city, the DPS and our state representatives come up with could work nationwide.

“We know that many school districts in Ohio have the same or a similar situation. So we consider it from how we can have a nationwide conversation,” added Tom Roberts, Vice President of Naacp Dayton.

“Everyone understands the brevity of what is at stake. And I think I know that I am very optimistic that we will be able to develop some short and long -term solutions that work together,” added Dr. Foward added.

The next meeting will take place in two weeks to discuss some of the short and long -term solutions again, which were made available on Monday to hopefully come to a decision before the state budget will go to the law on July 1st.