Waving Goodbye to the Bus

I live in the 3rd largest town in Oklahoma and Our school district leaders in their wisdom descided this year to restrict bus riders to anyone outside of 1.5 miles from the school. This means some elementary school kids are walking and crossing 4 lane major streets to get to school. The district also refrained from providing crossing guards all in the name of saving (get this) 250,000.00 dollars. This is a paltry sum compared to the injury or God forbid death of a child injured while walking to school. There was even in our local paper of a woman forced to quit her job so that her 2nd and 4th grade children would not have to walk the 1.4 miles to school. I feel as if this is carrying things too far and Hope that our city leaders can see the light before it is too late for some poor child. I have no problem letting my kids walk as I only live 3 blocks from the school but 1.5 miles is a bit far!!

Although walking to school is great I have to wonder how attendance will be effected by rain and snow, especially for older students who may pretend to walk to school and simply go back home.

Only 1/2 a mile? In our district if you live within a mile and a half you walk. I live three and a half miles from our school and I ride my bike everyday.

Well Small town neighbor maybe neighbors should get together and help each other out by getting each others children to school. I take my grandson four days a week because my daughter and son in law leave for work early. It gives us some good time together too.

A girl who grew up in Germany told me that kids in elementary school have to take bicycle road safety courses. School districts in the US should institute these in parallel with bus cutbacks and fitness programs.

1/2 a mile to school is nothing. Yes, these kids should be walking or biking for their health. It is a good idea if at least 1 parent walks with the bunch. I do feel for them when the snow and rain comes. I was bused 15 miles to school when busing was mandatory in Los Angeles in the 70's. I hated being at the bus stop at 6:45 a.m. and that long ride to and from school every day.

In the first place Nia and her neighbors shouldn't have had a bus ride being only a 1/2 a mile from school.
When I went to elementary school I was a half mile from school we ether rode our bikes or walked, and when it rained mom would give the bunch of us to school. So no I don't feel sorry for them just shows how lazy kids are getting.

In the first place Nia and her neighbors shouldn't have had a bus ride being only a 1/2 a mile from school.
When I went to elementary school I was a half mile from school we ether rode our bikes or walked, and when it rained mom would give the bunch of us to school. So no I don't feel sorry for them just shows how lazy kids are getting.

In the first place Nia and her neighbors shouldn't have had a bus ride being only a 1/2 a mile from school.
When I went to elementary school I was a half mile from school we ether rode our bikes or walked, and when it rained mom would give the bunch of us to school. So no I don't feel sorry for them just shows how lazy kids are getting.

Whatever happened to "neighborhood schooling" where the kids went to school to the campus closest to their house?

In California, busing costs taxpayers approximately 3 to 5 billion per year. In our district, the school buses use approximately 10 to 15 million dollars of fuel per year.
Wouldn't it be nice to have cleaner air and more dollars into the school's budget by making "neighborhood schooling" mandatory? As the article suggested, the kids walking to school is better for their health too as the recess time they are given is slowly taken away.

that is bullshit....my whole neighborhood is within a mile of school and every *()&& morning suvs and hummers with one or maybe two kids has to go so they can create a traffic jam in front of school....who are these idiots performing to?? they are usually bitter looking people, usually "elitist" and somehow probably vote GOP? ironical, isn't it???

diesel exhaust stays closer to the ground and your kids breathe it more in wintertime too....especially when schools don't force drivers to shut off their buses, so they idle and kids in the school breathe it, I especially love when schools are located right next to interstates, brilliant planning, create a bunch of health problems for kids who are already inundated with greasy nutritionless fast food and then who will be overwhelmed by bush's messes which are still ongoing, with the recent doubling by a few bill for his massive taxpayer funded bailouts.....EVERYBODY can stand to walk a few miles....does your town require you to shovel your sidewalks?? if yes, then you can walk a half mile.....

it is the spoiled kids who will get hurt by this as gas will get more and more expensive due to peak oil, but if you accept mcbush whiner logic, then vote for him and you will really be whining very shortly about having to walk.....and not being able to get rid of your bloated SUV and your bloated upside-down mcmansion....

why don't we start with stop wasting trillions of gallons of fuel daily in meaningless wars for revenge overseas and stop burdening taxpayers bailing out banks which only benefit China so we can further have our standards of living reduced....pretty soon we can just paint a picture of a school box on a cardboard box and pretend it is a real "bus" just like we pretend mcsame is a reformer and pretend there are WMDs in Iraq and pretend bush actually cares about American citizens...

git r dun

Whatever happened to bus stops for those that live too far away from the schools to walk. The buses would have shorter routes and the kids would still get some exercise. The kids that live within a short distance to school can walk on to school. Our kids have become too lazy and obese. This could be a solution to two problems.

A half mile in a Minnesota winter feels much further!

Walking to school could save money and attack the child obesity problem at the same time, unless the parents weaken and take the whining kids to school by car.

uh uh inGreen Bay Wisconsin it gets to be an average of 30 below with windchill average for a couple weeks. Buses are not allowed to take kids living within 2 miles, or "walking distance." 4 miles in the winter here is not walking distance. There ought to be a bus option. Besides a bus goes right by here to take kindergarteners downtown and could pick up the other kids for a lift. None of these kids are fat: far from it. For those of you feeding the weightloss theory over the low budget, can you get off your fat behind to walk 4 miles through negative 30 degrees or do you warm up your car and run to it. It is the poor kids that get hurt by this.

What if you live a 3 mile commute and you have working parents. I hardly see you leting your kid walk, or ride a bike with all the drivers and crime. My child is only 10 and i would not let him do either without an supervised adult that i trusted.

They were talking a bus to school A HALF MILE? how lazy can you get?

What if you have a 3 mile or longer commute and you have working parents???