In a quite successful attempt at mastering the obvious, the APEEE Woluwe announced in its message on Monday, that it decided to adapt its bus schedule for the period between 21 June and 1 July. This is a most spectacular 180 degree turn of events that, I’m sure, many, many parents were very happy to hear about. This decision will reduce the pandemic related health risks and will also ensure pupils will not have to suffer from the summer heat.
The reasons given by the APEEE for its magical turnaround were:
- the “requests by the parent(s) community”, and
- the “information on the number of registrations for the afternoon activities offered by the school in the last two weeks of June…”
But, wait a moment… I am really confused now… I was sincerely convinced that the original reason for not changing the schedule was due to the lack of bus monitors. However, and most curiously, it seems that parents’ opinions were the main factor sparking this backpedalling exercise by our APEEE Board…
Quite frankly, I would like to believe that my previous post, and the survey launched by another parent, heavily weighed in on the APEEE decision to change its mind. And that all the fuss created by parents, took the APEEE to rush to find the missing bus monitors in the trenches of Woluwe. But, in the end, and for some rather obscure reason the APEEE didn’t want to give due credit to Saint Anthony, the patron Saint of missing things, for finding the missing bus monitors.. How sad! 🙂
Anyway, whether all of the above contributed or not to the APEEE’s change of position, what seems to be the case is that the APEEE was not transparent in its message on the 25th of May that it couldn’t find any bus monitors. Now, three weeks later, we know that the lack of bus monitors was not the problem. It also seems that the APEEE did not try to address the actual challenges of the School’s Community. Instead it decided to pressure the School and not to fulfil its duty to serve the parents community! Whatever drove the APEEE to conduct its business the way it did, only ended up bringing lots of stress and draining the energy of both the Parents and the School! Energy that could have been invested more positively and constructively elsewhere.
All things considered, finding the missing bus monitors, made last Monday a truly great day. Even if there is a pending – and by now somewhat dated – appeal to Saint Anthony to help us find the APEEE’s stranded moral compass, we should be thankful for this ray of hope at the end of a rather difficult and complicated year, when we all needed some good news! So, here is a thank you prayer for the finding:
Thank you Saint Anthony,
for helping them see,
the monitors were found,
what a great turnaround.
Fabrício Santos is a parent at the Brussels European School 2 in Woluwe.
As an engaged parent he is often involved in actions that aim at improving and increasing the transparency and accountability of the school’s parents association.