Parents Protest Policy Restricting School Buses In Waukegan
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) -- A school bus boycott Friday in Waukegan was less than successful, but the protesters' request may be met this week.
As WBBM Newsradio's Michele Fiore reports, the Lake County News-Sun says board members plan to reconsider a provision that revised the bus schedule, as indicated on the agenda for the Tuesday Waukegan School District 60 meeting under "old business."
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The policy prevents students who live less than 1.5 miles away from riding the bus to and from school. Waukegan School District 60 officials say trimmed their transportation budget from $6.2 million in 2010-11 to $5.1 million for this school year.
The boycott was organized by the group Waukegan Parents United. One advocate, Julie Contreras of the League of United Latin American Citizens in Waukegan said the change in the school bus policy "negatively affected the quality" of the educational experience for Waukegan children.
District Supt. Donaldo Batiste advised parents not to participate, saying, "In a district seeking to make academic progress a priority, pursuing protests which keep students from school is 100 percent wrong."
Ultimately, attendance dropped at two of the 23 schools in the district, but attendance was still above 90 percent for the day overall, the News-Sun reported.
The Lake County News-Sun contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
