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Issues with the OPT hotline and complaint resolution process
3:01:25
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Council Member Rita Joseph discusses issues with the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) hotline and complaint resolution process with Sarah Catalina Naro from Parents to Improve School Transportation (PIST).
- Long wait times and ineffective complaint resolution system highlighted
- Issues with incident number tracking and red-flagging of complaints
- Concerns about the deflection of complaints and data reporting practices
Rita Joseph
3:01:25
Okay.
3:01:26
When a family uses the OPT hotline for complaint, what's the turnaround time to get the issue resolved?
3:01:32
Anyone?
3:01:34
Never?
3:01:35
Oh, that smile means never.
Sarah Catalina Naro
3:01:38
As soon as they give you an incident number, it's checked off as resolved.
3:01:44
But I think there's some scheme where it used to be you needed several different incident numbers to get it you know, to be red flagged.
3:01:55
And now it's that you need more complaints under the same incident number to get it to be red flagged.
3:02:02
But the way most of these things get attention from the folks that you saw here is when parent advocates write to them or parents write to them and cc, you know, a lot of advocates and other school folk and they're, like, responsive in them, in in, you know, that type of pressure.
3:02:25
But the the online and the phone call is just giving you an incident number.
Rita Joseph
3:02:30
No one answers.
3:02:31
You said it takes 20 minutes for someone to pick up the phone?
Sarah Catalina Naro
3:02:34
No.
3:02:34
That was the that was the bus company.
3:02:37
That was the bus company.
3:02:39
And, you know, I would say that, you know, I said that in contrast with sort of demanding that the attendant gives their number, But if the bus company had enough people answering these calls, you might be able to find out what you need to know without getting into somebody's personal phone.
3:03:00
So, yes, there's a series and we will attach examples of people saying, oh my gosh.
3:03:07
I don't think I have the right number.
3:03:08
What's the right number?
3:03:09
And it's through the parent grapevine instead of, you know, being clear on how to reach and get things addressed.
3:03:16
But OPT, I haven't tried to call in a while.
3:03:18
I think people should try it.
3:03:20
718-392-8855.
3:03:23
And listen, when they tell you, press 5 if it was more than 30 minutes late.
3:03:28
What?
3:03:29
No.
3:03:30
If it's 5 minutes late, I'm putting in a complaint.
3:03:32
But they're deflecting people.
3:03:34
And so that's why even the previous reporting law, you know, they took out the 1st 2 weeks of school.
3:03:42
They took out the summer in that data.
3:03:45
And there's a lot to still be enforced about the the past local laws from 2019.
3:03:54
So sorry.