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

[pbthompson]

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?

 

[tvguy]

They discontinued bus service here for high schoolers several years ago since so few kids used it. Most have cars, or neighbor kids with cars, or siblings with cars, or are dropped off by parents or walk, or ride their bike.
The high school is 4.6 miles from our house.
My kids went to a private high school 13 miles from home. Until he got his license, he car pooled with a girl who lives a mile away, her mom took them, I picked them up. When he got his license, he drove both of them to and from school (had to get special permission since it is illegal in California for a driver to carry passengers under age 18 the first year they have their license). When DD got to high school, DW dropped her off on the way to work , and I picked her up until she got her license and drove herself.

 

[java]

My son has to walk about a mile to the bus stop after they moved it off the bigger 55 mph road.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I do not have a student that age...but last house, my neighborhood was off of A1A and for most kids, they would walk to A1A at the end of the street. From my house that was about a quarter of a mile.

Present house...no clue where it is...but I would not be surprised if it were at the subdivision entrance. I would think that should be okay. There are two stops in the subdivision for elementary. Closest is a 5 minute walk.

Given that schools typically have a 2 mile walk in/drive in rule with no bus service... .68 miles seems reasonable as long as the route is safe.

 

[pbthompson]

The school will not let them drive unless they are juniors. SO, since I work he has to take the bus. I just don't understand if the bus PASSES my house to the other house...why can't it stop? I mean what if he is late one day and the bus passes him walking to the stop are they just going to keep driving? Why can't they make the bus stop in the middle stop of the two houses if there is a time issue?

I think they are mad I reported them.

 

[Stacy9402]

My daughter walks to school it is probably a half mile. She has to cross a bus road to get to school. But it takes almost 1 hour to drive in the mornings to her school because of traffic so it is better for her to walk - no bus service. Here is you live within 3 miles of the high school - then you walk to school, get driven or drive (parking spot if you are chosen (Seniors get priority) to get one is $200)...

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The city we just moved from doesn't bus unless you have a disability that prevents you walking to school, or attending a school within 2 miles.

My current city high school students are expected to walk or otherwise get themselves to school if the trip is less than 2 miles.

Given that, I'd say that .68 miles is pretty reasonable, and that it probably would be a healthy thing for a teenage boy to walk that distance.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

hm... .68 miles? Idk. The distance isn't the problem because I walked further and it really was no big deal and it was a busy enough street, probably busier than yours, at 45 MPH but I also had a sidewalk. So I guess for idk where I stand on it, without actually seeing the street in question.

It's entirely possible that your son (not you, at least if your son can't take care of it, because it's not a good way to start of HS terms of 'cool'-ness) could ask the driver to drop off/pick up at your driveway since it's on the way. I don't remember a driver ever saying no when others have asked.

 

[Bethenny]

Does it really drive passed your house? Like on your actual road or is it just slightly around the corner or something? I think if it really goes right passed your house it's ridiculous to make him walk. An extra stop for one person should take 45 seconds tops, assumming it has to make no other turns.

 

[Hannathy]

Under 2.5 miles you don't get a bus. My DD walked further than .68 miles to her stop, close to a mile. My kids have walked .5 or so to school since kindergarten. Heck where the High School kids get to park is better than a 1/2 mile away from the school.
I don't think it is that far and they probably can't stop at your house because if they do it for you then EVERYONE would want it.

Are you really going to say a 35 mile hr road is dangerous for a High Schooler?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well, my kids don't take the bus because I get to play chauffeur all day.

The HS is about 3 miles away. Anybody in our district can ride the bus - as long as you pay. The closest stop to our house (same stop for all grade levels, just different times) is about 1/4 mile away in front of the clubhouse.

About 2 years ago all the school bus stops were relocated due to the law that says ALL traffic must stop on both sides of the street if a school bus is displaying flashing red lights and its stop sign. It made a real mess when the busses stopped on the major 4 lane streets, so they moved them all to side streets.

I will add, many years ago, when I was in HS, the HS students didn't get to ride the bus unless you lived more than 1 mile away from the school. A real bummer - we lived .9 miles away. And not to sound too much like "I walked to school uphill in the snow both ways" kind of person we really did live on a very steep hill that I got to walk up at the end of the day.

 

[Pigeon]

A few hundred feet.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The school will not let them drive unless they are juniors. SO, since I work he has to take the bus. I just don't understand if the bus PASSES my house to the other house...why can't it stop? I mean what if he is late one day and the bus passes him walking to the stop are they just going to keep driving? Why can't they make the bus stop in the middle stop of the two houses if there is a time issue?

I think they are mad I reported them.

Do you have a lot of kids who could drive who aren't juniors yet? Here kids who started school on time and haven't been retained turn 16 on or after Jan 1st of sophomore year. With a 6 month learner's permit, only a very few will be able to drive independently in 10th grade (those who have birthdays in the first 1/2 of Jan, and get their lisence the first day they're eligible) and then only for less than a month.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Do you have a lot of kids who could drive who aren't juniors yet? Here kids who started school on time and haven't been retained turn 16 on or after Jan 1st of sophomore year. With a 6 month learner's permit, only a very few will be able to drive independently in 10th grade (those who have birthdays in the first 1/2 of Jan, and get their lisence the first day they're eligible) and then only for less than a month.

In Oregon, you need to be 15 to get your permit and drive independently when you're 16, day one. So anyone who turns 16, at any point can drive and get their parking permit. This includes sophomores, like my friend Melissa who turned 16 on September 15 of our sophomore year. A majority of people have their birthdays during the school year which lead to a lot of sophomores with driving privileges. Not me though, I'm a July baby so I didn't drive until I was a junior but I did get to graduate at 17 .

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Under a mile isn't far at all, a teenager should be able to walk that with no problem.

 

[LargoLori]

Our high school is a little over 1 mile away. My DD14 walks each way.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Well we are "lucky", she walkes to the end of the driveway 2 doors down. I say "lucky" because of why it is so close. We have a registered sex offender a few doors down from us (the opposite way) so they pick our kids up near the home. I am not sure they would say this is the reason, but when it wasn't close and she'd be walking, in the dark past his house (or I should say she was supposed to walk past, I would have driven her.) Anyway, I called and a stop was added. For me it was more of safety then distance. If she takes the late bus home she has to walk it, and she's fine with it (in the light of day.) About 6 kids are at the stop so it wasn't just for her.

We also get piles of snow and have no sidewalks so I was nervous about her walking as far as she would have bacisally in the road with huge piles taller then her at the end of the driveways, again in the dark.

But I would have just driven her to the bus stop if I had to.

 

[MoniqueU]

They discontinued bus service here for high schoolers several years ago since so few kids used it. Most have cars, or neighbor kids with cars, or siblings with cars, or are dropped off by parents or walk, or ride their bike.
The high school is 4.6 miles from our house.
My kids went to a private high school 13 miles from home. Until he got his license, he car pooled with a girl who lives a mile away, her mom took them, I picked them up. When he got his license, he drove both of them to and from school (had to get special permission since it is illegal in California for a driver to carry passengers under age 18 the first year they have their license). When DD got to high school, DW dropped her off on the way to work , and I picked her up until she got her license and drove herself.

Almost identical story to mine except I am legally blind and don't have a licence to take my kids to school. Son now drives himself to private and drops his sisters off at public. They scrable for rides home and to activiites and I am totally grateful for any help I get. I don't get how or why able bodied adults can't take their own kids to school. Yeah we have work, horrid weather and split schedules here in CA to deal with too, we just deal and are responsible for our own kids. The only people I know that are bussed are special needs. I don't get that either. Your kids, your responsibility.

 

[maelstrom]

There's no reason why your high school aged child can't walk that far, barring any disability. This just screams snowflake.

 

[barkley]

the bus stop for my kids is 1.25 miles from our house, for some of my neighbors it's as much as 1.75-this is the bus stop that serves grades k-12 so there's no exceptions based on the grade a child is in.

that said-noone in my neighborhood lets their kids walk to the bus stop. the road to the stop is totaly unpaved, there are no sidewalks or streetlights (and when the time changes in the fall-the kids get on the bus in the dark, and get home in the dark), can be frequented by coyotes, and during the winter months have several feet of snow.

when i went to highschool i lived in a more traditional neighborhood (sidewalks, paved roads, street lights...) and when i started out there were 5 stops (pretty large housing development). the first year the bus stop was probably about 1/4 mile away. by the second year they had eliminated the one closest to my home so i went to the next closest which was 1/2 mile away. by senior year all but 2 stops had been eliminated so there were kids walking upwards of 2-2 1/2 miles each way (boy, those rolling backpacks would have been a godsend).