PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Education has issued a response to local advocates who claimed that students with disabilities were stranded both on their way to and from school by the busing company employed by the state.

RIDE expanded its contract with DATTCO for busing this school year.

Officials hoped for a smooth transition, but in a recent letter sent by RIDE, they knew a problem was coming before the school year even started.

The letter from RIDE states they were informed around August 28 that DATTCO was considering what they described as “double runs,” which would include one bus driver handling two separate routes runs.

According to the department, they received a plan in the early hours of September 3 that explained children on those routes would be delayed by an average of nearly 2 hours.

Officials from DATTCO have since admitted that those routes were not suitable for the districts it serves.

In the days since these issues, organizations like the ACLU sent a letter to ride, asking for accountability and solutions, writing:

It is inexcusable that even one route was not properly planned for, much less the plethora of routes that were left unattended for this school year, and that there does not appear to be a timeline for immediately addressing the problem.

In RIDE’s response, they address a range of options from the letter.

The department says it is looking into options to address the situation, including an executive order from the governor’s office and assigning staff to answer parent’s concerns.

Any impacted parents can reach out RIDE for reimbursement of transportation costs they incurred after this incident.

There’s still no exact timeline for this issue to be addressed.

NARRAGANSETT — Chief Sean Corrigan reports that the Narragansett Police Department has charged 22 University of Rhode Island students with various offenses over a one-week period from Sept. 2-8.

The offenses included underage possession of alcohol, public consumption of alcohol, littering, urinating in public, transportation of alcohol, misrepresentation of age, DUI and social host.

Two of the students, 20-year-old Jake Dignam and 21-year-old Cody Calkins were charged on Friday, Sept. 6, with multiple offenses, including allegedly assaulting police officers at an unruly gathering in the Bonnet Shores neighborhood. One police officer was injured during this incident. Both individuals will be arraigned at the 4th Division District Court at a later date.

Additionally, the resident-renters and homeowners at three separate residences will be issued Municipal Court summonses this week for violations of the newly amended Public Nuisance Ordinance.

As a result of the amendment, renters and their guests may now face fines for a first offense. Many offenses are punishable by a $500 fine, according to the ordinance.

“The Narragansett Police Department will continue to arrest and prosecute offenders in the student-renter community who choose to violate town statutes and ordinances,” said Chief Corrigan. “Students are reminded of the potentially life-altering consequences of bad choices, and are urged to show respect for each other, the police and the community at-large.”

The Narragansett Police Department works closely with University of Rhode Island leadership.

According to a statement from the University of Rhode Island: “The University is aware of several incidents that occurred in Narragansett over the past weekend and does not condone the reported behavior. Any involvement by URI students will be reviewed consistent with the University’s Community Standards and Student Conduct System and may result in sanctions, including suspension or dismissal, in addition to any local actions taken. The University appreciates the efforts of local law enforcement and is working closely with the Narragansett police department to uphold and promote the well-being of our community.”

RHODE ISLAND — The harvest moon — the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox — always has a reputation as a stunner, but as the second of four consecutive supermoons, it will appear especially big and bright on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 17-18, weather permitting in Rhode Island.

On the 18th, when the moon still looks big and bright, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The eclipse is in the evening hours for U.S. observers (while the Moon is rising for the West Coast). In some areas, viewers will see a little bite taken out of one side of the moon over about an hour, according to NASA.

Here’s what we’ll see in Rhode Island. Expect moon rise at 6:48 p.m. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible from 10:12 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

The moon itself will appear slightly bigger and brighter because it’s a “supermoon,” a term coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle to describe the phenomenon when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, or at perigee, at the same time the moon is full.

As the term has been popularized, especially in the past decades, the biggest and brightest full moons of the year have become a favorite among skywatchers. They aren’t equal in intensity, though. Some lunar perigees come closer to Earth than others. At “extreme perigee,” that is the closest, the moon can appear 14 percent larger and about 16 percent brighter.

The full harvest supermoon and the Oct. 17 full hunters moon are “virtually tied for the closest of the year,” according to NASA.

The last of the four supermoons is the full beaver moon on Nov. 15.

Before anyone started using terms like “supermoon,” full moons were given names to help Native American tribes and others keep track of the seasonal changes that dictated the lives of their communities.

Unlike other full moons, the September full moon always rises at nearly the same time — around sunset — for several consecutive evenings, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. It got its name because the bright moonlight gave farmers several evenings of moonlight to finish their harvests.

Musicians from the Tin Pan Alley Era to modern times have crooned about the harvest moon, and with good reason. The harvest moon is a favorite on the lunar calendar because the best times to view it are so reliable.

So, whether your musical tastes run from “Shine On, Harvest Moon” from the “Ziegfeld Follies” or Neil Young’s classic “Harvest Moon,” you should definitely plan to dance or otherwise play under it.

“Go out on the night of the full moon and find a good spot to watch it rise. It can be breathtaking, eliciting an awestruck ‘Wow!’ from any skywatcher,” NASA explains. “When we observe the Moon near the horizon, it often looks HUGE — whether it’s peeking over the shoulder of a distant mountain, rising out of the sea, hovering behind a cityscape, or looming over a thicket of trees.

“But here’s the thing: it’s all in your head. Really. …”

The harvest moon doesn’t always rise in September, as it will this year. It’s always the one that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. That’s on Sunday, Sept. 22. Every three years, though, the harvest moon is in October.

Sometimes, the harvest moon looks more orange, but that has nothing to do with it being a harvest moon. The moon — and the sun, too — looks redder when it’s near the horizon because they’re seen through the maximum thickness of the atmosphere, which absorbs blue light and transmits red light.

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.