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Longer walks to bus stops spark frustration for Kyrene parents
The Kyrene School District adjusted its bus routes, leaving some students to walk nearly a mile to their assigned stops. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
PHOENIX - Wednesday was the first day of school for students in the Kyrene School District.
What they're saying:
"Oh it’s a very exciting time," said Kyrene School District parent Kati Stojak.
For Stojak’s daughter Blake, it also means starting over at a new school after the district closed her former school, Kyrene de la Estrella, along with several others due to declining enrollment.
"I think it's a little nerve-wracking going to a new school. You feel like a little bit of a new kid. But I do feel like Kyrene has been fantastic in trying to welcome the new kids," Stojak said.
But that’s not the adjustment that has Stojak worried this year. She’s more concerned about the new location of her daughter’s bus stop.
Dig deeper:
"Historically, we've only had to walk to the end of our neighborhood for the bus stop, which was maybe less than half a mile. And now they've moved her bus stop 0.9 miles away," Stojak said.
Stojak says the new route would be a 20-minute walk for her daughter, something she doesn’t feel comfortable with.
"It'll be dark in the winter, it'll be really hot in the afternoon. Kyrene doesn't even allow their students to have full recesses when they're on heat advisory … I'm just not quite sure why they don't apply those same standards for the kids and how they need to get home," Stojak said.
She says her attempts to appeal to the district did not work.
"They just said it's based on bus shortages and that they can't add more stops," Stojak said.
The other side:
The Kyrene School District sent FOX 10 this statement in response:
"Kyrene did adjust bus stop locations, but the walking boundaries have not changed. Bus stops are placed within a one-mile radius of eligible riders’ homes. This is shorter than the walking boundaries for schools, which are 1.5 miles for elementary schools and 2 miles for middle schools. While those walking boundaries have been in place for several years, we do recognize that the distance individual students walk may increase or decrease (within that one-mile boundary) when stop locations are adjusted. Bus routes and stops are reviewed and adjusted every year as needed."
Stojak is still hoping the district will reconsider. She says she isn't willing to compromise when it comes to safety.
"I know people make comments about, you know, 'when I was a kid' and how far you walk, but I feel like now is just a different time," Stojak said.
Stojak says she’s not the only parent dealing with the change. There are other concerns, like the new routes requiring students to walk through busier areas where more strangers could be present. She’s hoping the district will take her feedback to heart.