Frisco Parents Upset With School Bus Service
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FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) - Some Frisco parents say the school district is putting their children in danger. That's because new school zones split at least one neighborhood leaving a group of children without bus service.
Most of the kids in Nicole Souther's neighborhood ride buses to Norris Elementary School, but she and the parents of about 30 other students live within two miles of the school, which means they are not eligible for school bus service.
"The district is expecting that my children are going to walk down Eldorado past all this traffic, cross all the lanes of Eldorado to get to the south side of Eldorado, and then they're expected to also cross Independence," Souther said.
There is an alternative. Rather than cross those roads, students could use tunnels underneath. But parents worry the tunnels are in a wooded area and could attract the kind of wild animals seen throughout the neighborhood.
"We have known bobcats and coyotes and snakes that come in the neighborhood. It's very reasonable to expect an area that's heavily wooded like this is going to be an area where they hide out," Souther said.
A spokesperson for Frisco ISD said they have crossing guards for both tunnels who will cross the students at the controlled intersections above the tunnels. Ganesh Thambiran said that's not enough for his young daughter.
"I cannot let a 5-year-old cross this major road. Even though there's like crossing guards and all, it's not going to work for me."
The district spokesperson insists for students who live within two miles of their school, it's a family decision how their children get there.
"I would like them to come walk in this 98 degree heat and walk two and a half miles carrying a backpack, and I want their 6-year-olds to do it," Souther said.
The parents who spoke to CBS11 News said for now they are all having to drive their children to school and pick them up each day to avoid the walk.
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