Ohio University took 145 students from Sheridan Middle School in Perry County on Friday on their trip to Washington, D.C., after their trip was put in jeopardy.
The group arrived at 4:30 a.m. to prepare to leave for the trip, according to a report by ABC6, and they were supposed to leave by 2 p.m. Parents said at about 5 a.m., they were told the bus company was having mechanical problems, the report said.
Ohio University Transportation and Parking Services received a call from Sheridan Middle School around 7:20 a.m. asking the university for help with transporting students on a trip to Washington, D.C.
“(The trip) was in jeopardy after its charter buses were unexpectedly unavailable. Ohio University was able to provide two charter buses and three drivers,” Martin Paulins, director of Transportation and Parking, said in an email.
OU provided the group with two 30-passenger charter buses, three drivers and arranged for a 47-passenger bus from Buckeye Charters that stayed with them throughout their weekend trip.
“Ohio University is glad to be a strong community partner to be able to assist in taking Sheridan Middle School’s students on a highly-educational and long-planned trip,” Paulins said in an email.
OU’s charter buses are currently at a for-hire status, allowing them to be used in this instance. Paulins said as a charter service, OU’s buses are frequently available to rent for trips of this nature.
Sam Miller, a rising senior who is studying journalism, attended Sheridan Middle School from 2007 to 2010. She heard about OU’s assistance with the trip on Friday afternoon.
“I was so happy to see my two institutions of education working together,” Miller, who serves on The Post Publishing Board, said in an email.
When Miller attended the middle school, the trip to Washington, D.C., did not exist yet. Miller said she is happy that the trip does exist now because they are in a rural area that isn’t always been exposed to the nation’s history.
“This trip
