How far do your high school age kids walk to the school bus stop?

[minniebeth]

First I am shocked at the number of people that don't have bus service, that is an outrage.

Many districts simply can't afford bus service to all the students, cuts have to be made somewhere. It's not an outrage, it's a reality.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for keeping kids safe and helping kids get to school where they need to be, but what other solution is there, when there just simply isn't enough funding to go around?

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

A few things. First I am shocked at the number of people that don't have bus service, that is an outrage.
.

When you have public transportation, its no big deal. Kids get on the bus or subway all the time. Most just walk to school.

Then again, we have sidewalks.

I walked to elementary school (which here is K-8) starting in 4th grade - 6 blocks including a busy intersection (there was a crossing guard). In high school I got a bus pass and took public transportation. That is still how it is today.

 

[mjkacmom]

They expect my girl to walk 6 blocks to catch the bus! I walked the distance when I was her age but there is no way I'm allowing my girl to walk that twice a day times are so different now. So I will be taking her to school and picking her up this year. My Ds's will be picked up at our door as usual.

You won't let your high school student walk 6 little blocks?! My ds12 and dd14 walk almost a mile to school. Heck, my little ones walk 6 blocks to their elementary school. I walked to school as well, but there was more crime when I was a kid, we had no cellphones, and my parents never talked to me about how to deal with potential child abductors (which the chances of my kids having encounters with is slim to none).

Pretty soon the snowflakes are going to become a blizzard...

 

[okeydokey]

We are lucky. Our middle and high school bus is the same and they stop 4 places in our neighborhood. This year, the stop is at our house, last year it was a few houses up.

I think it is ridiculous to pick up only 3 of the 4 kids on the road in front of their house. If they are truly worried about time, they would reduce it to one or two stops in a central location and everyone would meet there, but to stop in front of the other 3 houses and not yours does seem wrong. I'm glad they have changed it.

 

[locolala]

I walked about a mile each way, no matter the weather. The bus came at 0610, so it was always dark when I left my house. I don't think I ever got driven to the bus stop, even when I had a broken ankle and was on crutches. My parents didn't want to have to get up that early! I got myself up, ate breakfast and out the door. Times have changed since then, I guess.

 

[mhsjax]

When you have public transportation, its no big deal. Kids get on the bus or subway all the time. Most just walk to school.

Then again, we have sidewalks.

I walked to elementary school (which here is K-8) starting in 4th grade - 6 blocks including a busy intersection (there was a crossing guard). In high school I got a bus pass and took public transportation. That is still how it is today.

The sidewalks make a huge difference, I have no problem if they are able to use sidewalks.

I also rode my bike to school starting in 3rd grade it was 1 mile, but than again there were sidewalks and crossing guards.

I don't think a child walking in the dark on a road with cars going 55 and no side walk is a very good idea. I don't even have a problem with the bus stop being in the dark but I would drop my kids off at said bus stop.

 

[mhsjax]

I walked about a mile each way, no matter the weather. The bus came at 0610, so it was always dark when I left my house. I don't think I ever got driven to the bus stop, even when I had a broken ankle and was on crutches. My parents didn't want to have to get up that early! I got myself up, ate breakfast and out the door. Times have changed since then, I guess.

Wow, my mom was always up with me, but she had to be up with my dad going to work. I did get up earlier than they did, but by the time I left she was up. I don't think she ever drove me, but the stop was right down the road and unless it rained, I walked to it.

I am sorry but I can't imagine letting my kid leave for school and not get my sorry butt out of bed to at least say bye have a nice day. So no times haven't changed, I don't know of any of my friends that had parents that wouldn't get out of bed,so I don't think the times have changed thing is true.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

4 blocks. And the same is true for middle and elementary students in my development (more or less depending on their home, of course). But my kids are dropped off at the bus stop (instead of walking) because it's on the way to work.

Also, no sidewalks.

 

[abdmom]

We live half a block from the combined elementary/middle school and 1 1/2 blocks from the high school. Distance to the schools was a major factor in deciding which house to buy.

 

[shirleyb]

We live 20 miles from the high school, with no public transportation, so bus service is a necessity. The bus has always stopped right in front of our house, with the exception of the late bus, which stops about 1/2 mile away. I will typically pick my kids up from the late bus, just because it is usually dark and the road has no sidewalks, but they have had to walk it sometimes when I haven't been home.

 

[mdsoccermom]

A few things. First I am shocked at the number of people that don't have bus service, that is an outrage.
2nd, I am all for walking and I don't know how far our high schooler go, but most moms drop them off at the bus stop on the way to work, probably because it is literally on the way, you have to pass it. I am not sure I would want a kid walking on a road, even though it is only 35, which mean most people go 40, without a sidewalk, that isn't safe. I wouldn't do it as an adult.

all that texting going on that so many people are so fond off, one slight move off the road and the kid is dead.

3rd. and go ahead and tell me I am raising a snowflake, because I know I am not, but I live live in Florida, right now it is probably 90 outside with 100% humidity, I dont' want my kids all hot and sweaty from walking to the bus stop (I am talking about a bus stop that people are saying is a mile from home, my kids walk to the bus stop now). going home not so much of a problem but I don't want my kids to stink and be all sweaty before they even get to school.

How on earth is in an outrage that people don't have bus service? Many areas don't need it. Do you really expect people that live within walking distance of a school to take a bus?

I grew up in a town with no bus service. Parents didn't drive us to school. We were expected to walk in all kinds of weather. Before I lived in that town, I lived in Queens, NY where I was walking to school with other kids, but without adults, as early as 1st grade. Kids are way too pampered these days.

 

[ajk912]

I did not read the whole thread, but I see little reason why a high schooler couldn't walk .68 miles, 35 mph road or not. The exercise is good practice for college when you park where you can (if you can find a parking spot in one of the first THREE lots-possibly farther) and have to hoof it with all your textbooks and crap for the day, all around campus..you don't have lockers or a place to stash your stuff. He can start building up his tolerance.

 

[ilovesugar]

Hello,
I was double checking my son's bus route and noticed our stop is no longer listed. I called the school asking if it was a mistake. I was told that it wasn't a mistake that the kids in high school have different routes. Okay fine. She said my son would have to walk to the nearest stop which is .68 miles from my house. We live on a busy street (35mph) and people speed all the time. Not to mention there are no sidewalks and what about inclement weather.

I asked her why my son had to walk to another kids house, why didn't they meet in the middle? The bus has to pass my house on the way to this other stop. She said because they are in HIGH SCHOOL. I said I UNDERSTAND that but NONE of the other kids on my street have to walk to a bus stop. Last year my son walked up one house and crossed the street to save the bus driver a stop and he was told not to do that because it is dangerous...NOW he has to walk .68 miles. I said this wasn't acceptable to me and she said I would have to file a change of bus stop form and then it would have to be reviewed by the committee. I said WHY? It shouldn't have been changed in the first place, the bus stops at my house for my daughter (she is in middle school) it has always stopped here.

Last year I filed a complaint against this bus company because they left my kids in another town (we live on the town line) and made them cross a flooded roadway (above the knee white capped water) then walk home almost a mile soaking wet. The local news picked up the story and it was all over town. I said I hope this isn't the reason why the stop was changed.

What do you think?

I am sorry but, is this a joke? Your talking about a high school student here, not a little kid. I am quite certain he knows how to walk down the street without getting hit by a car. I hope you did not tell him that you called the school because I would be MORTIFIED if my mother did that to me. I used to walk several miles home from HS because the cutoff for busing was one street over from mine. So I walked. I am still alive today.

 

[sunnyday123]

In MN the cut off is Sept 1st. to enter kindergarten, most kids turn 16 in their sophomore year of high school and get their driver's license that year. It isn't uncommon at all.

OP, I can not believe you called the bus garage to complain about a HIGH SCHOOL kid walking a 1/2 mile to a bus stop. In most towns kids in high school don't get bussed unless they live a mile or more away from the school. A 35 MPH road is NOT a big deal even with speeders. If your high scool aged kid can't walk safely to the bus stop, that is YOUR failing not the schools.
Our bus stop is at the end of our street, just one house over but there are kids that walk from several blocks away to get there. There are some kids that have to walk a mile or more to GET to their bus stop though.

So if a kid is walking down a road and gets hit by a car, it's the parents fault?? Is this the logic they teach in those superior Mn schools???

 

[marcyinPA]

Our district doesn't offer bus service to HS kids who live within two miles of the school. They don't care if the walking route is on a busy street or a park...if you live less than two miles, you walk (or find a way to get there).

We live 1.9 miles from the school. We also live in the city. All the streets are busy. We carpool in the mornings (DS is in band, so they have 7 am practice every day) and I pick him up in the afternoons. Sometimes, though, he will have to take the city bus. We can get a discounted student pass for him.

In the OP's case, a little over 1/2 mile is not that far of a walk. It could be worse!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Well OP it sounds like you got things resolved to your satisfaction so that is good.

As to your OP:
I think many people did not respond to the flood issue because it is so very different than the actual issue you were asking about

My kids are going to enter grades 9 and 6 in a couple of weeks. Only a couple of private schools and schools for children with special needs provide buses here in our area of Germany. The kids walk about 1 kilometer to the train stop and then take a train and then a streetcar to school in inclement weather they dress appropriately, I really cannot understand where you are coming from there

We moved here from NH. The kids were homeschooled but I know where the bus stop was (and other kids DID walk to it). It would have been about a half mile up the hill from our house (dirt road, 35 MPH speed limit, no sidewalks, yep it gets cold).

I truly cannot fathom having high school aged kids who could not handle hte walk you describe to a bus.

 

[MushyMushy]

At first I was kind of inclined to agree with the other posters who don't understand why you have such a problem with the distance, but after reading through it more, I get the feeling you're more upset that he's the only one on this route who has to walk that far. Yeah, that would bother me too -- it's only common sense that a stop would be in the middle of two different houses rather than at one or the other. Anyway, I see that you've gotten it resolved.

My kids never had to walk more than a couple of blocks for a bus for elementary and high school, although they walked about a mile and a half to the middle school (people within a 2 mile radius didn't get bus services). And they did walk uphill both ways. You can't avoid that living in a hilly town like ours.

 

[mhsjax]

How on earth is in an outrage that people don't have bus service? Many areas don't need it. Do you really expect people that live within walking distance of a school to take a bus?

I grew up in a town with no bus service. Parents didn't drive us to school. We were expected to walk in all kinds of weather. Before I lived in that town, I lived in Queens, NY where I was walking to school with other kids, but without adults, as early as 1st grade. Kids are way too pampered these days.

Oh yes, kids are way to pampered, we did everything ourselves. we even had to rub two sticks together to get fire.

Maybe it is were I come from, we are way in the suburbs, not in the city and they have always provided bus service within a certain number of miles from the school. I think anything less than 3 you are on your own, and we have plenty of walker and bikers. And if there is bad weather our school, by law, isn't allowed to release them. So I guess it isn't just the parents that are pampering them.

oh and by the way, the school I had to attend in 6th grade was way across town in one of the worst sections of the city, they even found a dead body under my school. I guess I should have walked there also.

Kids these days are no more pampered than the adults, with our computers for personal use, our cell phones, our ipods, our remotes for the TV, our dvr's and pvr's that record any show that we might want to see, our face books so we don't actually have to pick up a phone and make an effort to actually have a conversation. I could go on and on.

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow, my mom was always up with me, but she had to be up with my dad going to work..

Having to get up because dad has to go to work - too funny!

 

[mhsjax]

Having to get up because dad has to go to work - too funny!

My mom was born in 1921, that is what they did back then she was your typical housewife. I thought it was sweet. And frankly I don't see anything wrong with it, is she just supposed to lay around and eat bon bons and watch TV. She got up get dressed saw me and my dad off and began her day. She was very happy with it.