Some parents miffed over Lindenhurst School District's remeasuring of bus eligibility
LINDENHURST, N.Y. -- It's hard enough to get kids up for school, but in one Long Island school district more than 100 children have to wake up even earlier.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported Thursday, kids at one Lindenhurst school now have to walk to class after getting bumped from bus service.
The school bus still comes to South 12th Street, but it no longer picks up or drops off many of those it had for years, like Jackie Bergeron's 13-year-old son, who is suddenly not eligible.
When asked what changed, Bergeron said, "That's what we are trying to find out. That's really the question. What changed and why?"
Her eighth grader is among the 110 students who used to get busing but no longer, after a district transportation audit of eligibility zones.
"You should put a pin in the middle of the school and a mile radius within a circle is who is not eligible for the bus. The route he actually walks is more than a mile," Bergeron said.
Robert Arist's house falls 40 feet outside the bus eligibility zone. His son's walk is a half hour to school, right past the bus and busy intersections.
"He hates it. We have been driving him to school just because it's easier on him, but there is so much traffic up there," Arist said.
According to the latest measurement, the block is just within one mile of the middle school, making it walking distance.
"I don't feel like it's safe, no, and it's more on his education. He's walking there. He's mad. He doesn't want to be in school now. He's tired from walking," Arist said.
Lindenhurst Schools Superintendent Anthony J. Davidson sent the following statement to CBS2:
"Over a year ago, the district and bus company conducted a routine audit of the current eligibility zones. The findings revealed that some students were receiving buses but were ineligible for transportation services as their residences were outside the allowable distance based on district policy. Eligibility is based on school policy, which must be in alignment with state regulations, as transportation costs are often reimbursable from state aid. Once our policy is set, then we are not at liberty to reduce the required mileage without a voter referendum. Now that the district is aware of the ineligibility of some riders, we could be fined for noncompliance and/or forfeit state aid if we were to continue transporting students despite their ineligibility," Davidson said.
"Families affected by this change were notified last August and again in February in order to plan ahead for alternative transportation methods. The district is sensitive to the needs of our families and acknowledges the inconvenience this recalculation has caused for those affected. We will revisit this policy to see if we can accommodate expanded transportation, which will be discussed at subsequent board of education meetings," he added.
Despite the superintendent saying parents were informed over a year ago, the district portal still had Arist's son eligible for the bus days ago. He said he feels for working parents.
"Some of them had jobs, relying on their children having buses for years," Arist said.
The district acknowledged the inconvenience this recalculation has caused for those affected, and offered to revisit the policy at upcoming school board meetings.
