Student lives 1/10th of a mile too close to school for bus transportation

[pstokely]

Last edited Tue Aug 4, 2015, 02:06 AM - Edit history (1)

"Jaliyah Stow's parents were counting on the school to provide a bus service for their daughter, but the letter they received explains that the district only lets students who live more than a mile from the school use the bus.

That is above and beyond what the state of Missouri requires, but the family says the district should do more to help their little girl.

The neighborhood between Jaliyah's house and John Luff Elementary seems like a quiet, kid friendly area, but to a worried mother, the walk feels too treacherous for her 6-year-old daughter.

"There is a lot of traffic to and from, the hot and the cold and the registered sex offenders," the girl's mom, Jessica Stow said.

If the family lived just 200 yards farther away, Jaliyah could take the bus. The district allowed it last year, but the school discovered this year that they live .9 miles from school - a tenth of a mile too close for the bus service.
"
http://www.kctv5.com/story/29694154/independence-mother-upset-about-school-bus-policy#ixzz3hoVDgNgK

[dem in texas]

1. Can't she walk the 1/10 of a mile to where the bus goes by?

We always had the same problem, but the kids just walked down to the end of the street where the bus went by and the bus would stop for them.

[pstokely]

2. a lot of neighborhoods aren't very walkable

they might have to cross a busy street, maybe they could pay for the bus

[Orrex]

12. Typically it's based on the physical address.

In other words, they can simply walk to the stop, but they still won't be allowed to ride.


That's how it is with the company than runs my district's buses. They consistently do the absolute bare minimum required by law, or less.

[6chars]

3. they should not have a distance limit

anyone who wants bus service should have it. if they have a distance limit, whatever the distance there will always be someone who is close to the limit and on the wrong side. that wouldn't be fair.

[pstokely]

7. some students may only live a few blocks from the school

nt

[Igel]

21. Some people and school districts don't have unlimited money.

That's the problem. More students, more stops, more buses. For one student, perhaps not so much of a problem. But if one student, then 100s of students. Suddenly you lay off a few teachers here, a few teachers there for bus service.

Yeah, we can always raise taxes. Sadly, that requires (for most school taxes) the consent of the governed.

[hfojvt]

29. I walked to school all my life

(Uphill both ways).

Still, I think 9/10 mile is a long way for a six year old to walk. They ought to extend that limit for K-3.

[lpbk2713]

4. A child that age should be permitted regardless.

This is ridiculous.

[strategery blunder]

5. Last line in the full article is important

The state will only fund the bus service for students who live a mile or more away. So if the district allows the bus service, the district eats the cost. And we all know how well schools are funded today--not. That is why the district is being so legalistic about this. It's about funding, or rather lack thereof. Who pays for the bus service if it's normally funded by the state, but the state won't pay on a technicality?

IMO the district should allow the bus service; however I would find it reasonable in the short term if it looked to the parents to pay. Longer term I would advocate for a change in state law to allow bus funding for elementary school-aged children who live closer than a mile, but MO politics being what it is (I went to college there), I wouldn't hold my breath.

[pstokely]

8. the family might be able to pay for bus service

Last edited Tue Aug 4, 2015, 03:43 AM - Edit history (1)

they might be able to get it for free if the child has an IEP

[MattSh]

6. They do pay taxes, don't they?

Or do they get a break because they live only 9/10 of a mile from a school?

[mythology]

32. By that logic, do I get a tax break because I don't have kids?

You can argue the rule shouldn't be, but arguing that it shouldn't be based on the parents paying taxes is a road you shouldn't go down.

[CBGLuthier]

9. My elementary age kids never rode a bus.

We either took them or walked with them. This was the 90s.

When I was a child and lived about 3/4 of a mile away I too walked or was driven by my parents because of the exact same reason, we were too close for the bus.


When i lived in Ohio I took a bus because I was easily 3 or 4 miles away.

Yes, a six year old is too young so too bad for her parents but they will have to transport their child.

There have to be boundaries and there will always be someone who lives just onside the boundary. Tough shit. That is life.

[LuvNewcastle]

16. I agree.

I had to walk to school when I was a kid. The parents need to suck it up and drive the kid to school or walk with her. I think she could eventually walk by herself after doing it several times. Maybe get some older kids to walk with her. They don't have room for everybody on the bus.

[TBF]

17. "Tough shit. That is life."

When I was young my mom found older kids to walk me at that age - it was probably about a mile across our small town (at most).

But your nastiness is kind of revealing. This isn't Discussionist.

[CBGLuthier]

19. Nastiness? That is a purely philosophical statement. Sorry if you find it nasty.

Some people need to grow up and accept that the world can be a challenge.

[TBF]

20. My philosophy is showing compassion for others -

[CBGLuthier]

22. Well i guess you are a better human being than me. so wrap yourself in that blanket

of smug self-satisfaction and enjoy your high horse.

BTW, Mother Teresa sucked. Look it up to see just how much she really sucked if you think you can handle a load of truth instead of warm fuzzy feelings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Mother_Teresa


There I saved you the trouble of looking her up.

[snooper2]

24. born rich flying around on private jets manipulating the media for cash LOL

You should watch this... Miracle, or the greatness of Kodak?



Christopher Hitchens - Mother Teresa: Hell's Angel

[TBF]

25. I can't quite find it in myself to push Mother Teresa under the bus -

I would take issue with her positions on abortion and birth control - but being the daughter of a carpenter is hardly "rich and flying around on private jets".

[LeftyMom]

26. She was treated in the best American hospitals when sick

She wouldn't even get a washing machine to clean the sheets people oozed all over in her warehouse for the untreated ill. Too much money, and volunteers could handwash the shitty sheets instead.

[TBF]

27. Ugh, you guys are killing me here -

I guess I'll have to read up on her a bit. I knew some of the stuff about the Dalai Lama but not Mother Teresa.

[MattSh]

34. I'm sure a number of people are whining about Mother Teresa...

to hide the fact that they've did less than nothing.

[hfojvt]

30. as a purely philsophical statement

it is perilously close to YOYO, the defining philosophy of the Republican Party.

You are On Your Own.

Tough shit, that's life.

We already know that the world can be a challenge. However, some are more motivated to help others than just to proclaim, tough shit, that's life.

[MADem]

10. When I took a bus to school, it was free (i.e. paid by taxes).

Nowadays in many MA communities the parents have to pay for the bus service, it's like two or three hundred bucks for the first kid, and then goes down a bit for the next one, and after the third or fourth kid there's no additional charge. Also, the parents have to reserve seats for their little Fauntleroys and Petunias ahead of time--if the bus on their route is full, tough tooties.

That's how they handle it lots of places--you want transport? Pay for it. First come, first served.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/03/09/school-bus-not-billboard/nnpJTJu1KsIacO6c7gNOvO/story.html


http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/pay-to-ride-many-school-districts-now-charge-fees-to-ride-school-buses

Some solve the problem with advertising, which is kind of icky.



http://www.matrixmediaservices.com/outdoor-media/school-bus-advertising/

[phylny]

11. This is pretty normal and has been for years.

When I was in high school, you had to be 2 miles away to get transportation. We were 1.5 miles away. I walked most of the time, until I was older and my dad or mom would let me borrow a car.

Years later when we lived in Naperville, IL, our house was deemed too close for transportation, despite our and our neighbors arguing to the contrary. Sure enough, years later after we moved, we found out that the kids in our house got the bus to school.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Same here = in CT - 1.3 miles and we walked. Of course - back then it was safe. It was

even safe to take the bus to NYC and hang out when we were 13

[tammywammy]

15. Elementary schools here don't have bus service at all.

And it's a 2 mile distance for middle and high schoolers.

[dembotoz]

14. Same here kids were just outside the boundaries

Also think it had something to do with the fact we lived in a poorer apt complex with a shitload of kids, but neighbors bused my kids not. Funny thing was some kids were bused if they lived in an area with hazardous traffic. My kids walked thru the same damn area on the way to school

[underahedgerow]

18. 50 years ago, we were just inside the mile limit. My father was very pleased and ranted about

it for years.

Small town of some 3000 people. I enjoyed walking to school. It was the only peace I had between hell in school and hell in home. We were on top of a hill with no sidewalks. Somehow, I managed to survive, even in flippin blizzard conditions.

[Igel]

23. Sounds like she's scared.

Scared of her neighbors, scared of the neighbor, scared of all the bad things that are probably less bad then 20, 30 years ago but which the media need her to be outraged and terrified of.

A friend and I grew up just far enough away that we were to qualify for bus for elementary school and high school. Problem was, our neighborhood ended with my friend's house. Now, when I say "ended" I don't mean there was a road and another neighborhood. There was a road. Then there was 1/2 mile of swamp. Then there was some heavy industry. Then there was a large river without a bridge across it.

In the other direction there was a mile of forest and then another community going to the same school, but it was a 10 minute bus ride to get to it, at least. If they picked up us, then the bus route through the other community would be too long, and they'd need a separate bus for us. Our parents said, "Let them walk." Rain, snow, temperatures in the low 90s in the afternoon or teens in the morning.

Thing is, while it was working class, for 6 years of elementary school and 3 years of high school only one incident ever happened--somebody decided to exit his house for the sole purpose of punching me, and that was when I was in elementary school.

Bad neighborhoods are the result of bad neighbors. Bad neighbors, like good neighbors, are trained to be bad or good.

[FLPanhandle]

28. As someone who grew up outside the US, I laugh at the premise

In New Zealand, we didn't have buses to school no matter how far you lived.

You rode a bike, you walked, period.

What wimpy children can't walk less than a mile to school?

[bhikkhu]

31. Pretty normal. I walked my kids to school for years

living about 3/4 mile from the elementary school. Once they were 10 or so they walked themselves. They had the option of bussing it to junior high but had no interest...it was a little farther, but they either walked or we drove them, depending on schedules.

Of course there's the old days too - I walked about a mile to school myself starting when I was 5 for kindergarten, never rode a school bus, and don't recall ever even thinking about having my parents drive me. High school was a couple miles away; I bicycled. Its common to hear people say "it was safer back then" but that's far from the case. Crime rates have declined steeply everywhere in the past 50 years, especially violent crimes. It was also very hard to keep track of kids once they were out of the house without cell phones.

[tblue37]

33. Yet the Meitivs were repeatedly harassed and threatened by cops and by CPS for letting

their 10-year-old son and their 6-year-old daughter walk home together from a park less than a mile away--after having spent time carefully training them to do so safely.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/03/02/meitiv_decision_cps_finds_free_range_parents_responsible_for_unsubstantiated.html

"CPS Finds “Free Range” Parents Responsible for Unsubstantiated Child Neglect. Now What?"