How long do you kids have to ride the bus? Whiney rant.

[Disney st8 of mind]

In our district the middle and high school start at 7:30 and the elementary at 8:30. Last year they wanted my 3rd grader at the bus stop at 7:05. It just seemed cray that I would have to get her there before I even had to drop my 8th grader off at school!
I don't know how it is in your states, but around here it is said that supposedly schools aren't required to provide bussing for anyone! When my DH was in high school (same district we now live in) they cut all bussing to upper grades one year due to the budget. Everyone had to find their own way. I guess the schools feel we should be grateful for what we are provided.

 

[aprilgail2]

This may sound like a silly question but is the bus going in hte smae direction both times it passes your house? How old are your kids? and the neighbors child?

The reason I ask is that in NYS children 5 and under are not supposed to cross the street to get on the bus or get to the bus stop.
Could this be the reason?

When my daughter was in Kindergarten I did have to have the route changed so she didn't have t cross the street. We live on a busy street.

As for now, she doesn't ride the bus...I drop her off (and her friends) every morning.

That must be a rule in your city--we live in NY and kids in kindergarten have to cross streets all the time to get to a bus stop. My daughter had to cross 2 streets to get to her bus stop and she was 4 in kindergarten.

OP I think that is an insane amount of time to be on a bus and to have to get up that early to take a bus to school is nuts. My daughters bus comes at 715 and school starts at 740--even with that I end up dropping her off at school so we don't leave the house until 730. She hates the bus (I don't blame her!) so I drop her off but if she is not staying after school for anything she has to take the bus home- at least until next year when I retire!

 

[reginaastralis]

My kid sister is starting high school this year, and really wanted to go to a magnet school. Until she found out the bus would pick her up at 5:15am (I think her school starts at 7:30). She said no thank you, her middle school bus should have picked her up at 5:45, but it was close to the school my mom taught at, so she just drove her (school started at 8).

We're on choice, so we have to drive and pick up. The drive isn't horrible, but the wait in car line in the afternoon makes me wish we used our neighborhood school ...

 

[angwill]

First of all, hats off to you for making sense of my post with all the typos.

No otherwise isn't fair to the kids. Our county tries and make it as fair to the children as they can. My dd makes out well because she very, very rarely rides the am bus unless she wants to do so. She is one of first dropped off. I can't believe they think first picked up in morning should be last dropped off in evening would work for any school system. What is their reasoning? Not like it saves miles, gas, or money.

I am not the typo police and don't expect everyone to be an OCD spelling expert. I figure I don't know you maybe you don't spell well but could kick my butt in a math contest.

Our bus garage justifies the way it is because the load software tells them that is the way it should be done. Again, the software was build for product not people. They don't care it's not them on the bus 3 hours a day for a 7 mile ride each way. My son has always been first on last off and in grade school that didn't work so good for a little kid. Now in high school it is only a half hour in the morning because they drop off the high schoolers before finishing the grade and middle school run. Home he is last off and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes but he is in sports so he doesn't take it home often.

 

[mistysue]

I would also call the bus dept. to ask if there is a solution.
A situation I found similarly annoying- for two years I had a but stop about 5 houses down the street from me. Due to my DD's age and because the stop was not at my house, I had to be standing in the neighbor's driveway when the bus came for them to pick up or drop off DD. One winter that included standing in snow drifts with a newborn! The child who lived there was old enough a parent was not required but they would NOT move the stop because the parent living there wanted her daughter to be able to wait inside her own home until the bus arrived. To top it off- the girl only rode the bus 1-2 times a week! The house happened to be in a curve in the road, I almost got hit by cars twice standing there. One time somebody spun out right in front of me- I called to complain that my baby and I were nearly killed but it wouldn't change. The third year, we got a new driver and the driver just tweaked her route for me and added an unofficial stop at my house.

That aside, I sort of appreciate the length of DD's bus ride (average 45 mins both ways) because I get free daycare and sometimes she will do a worksheet or some homework on the bus.
It allows me almost a full hour or extra work availability every day for no cost, it wouldbe $20/day for the same amount of child care during the morning/evening.

 

[mrodgers]

Our bus garage justifies the way it is because the load software tells them that is the way it should be done. Again, the software was build for product not people. They don't care it's not them on the bus 3 hours a day for a 7 mile ride each way. My son has always been first on last off and in grade school that didn't work so good for a little kid. Now in high school it is only a half hour in the morning because they drop off the high schoolers before finishing the grade and middle school run. Home he is last off and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes but he is in sports so he doesn't take it home often.

Have you seen the entire route? You said the school is 7 miles from your house which doesn't mean the bus is only driving 7 miles.

My wife followed the bus. She gave up after a few of the side roads it was taking to pick up a kid here and there. I would guess the 10 mile trip to the school for our kids is more like 30 miles with all the side roads it has to go down. That would be why our kids are on the bus 45 minutes for a 10 mile trip.

 

[MomToOne]

for two years I had a but stop about 5 houses down the street from me

Ouch - that must hurt!! Sorry - I just couldn't resist

My area has very few school buses, despite it being a large city. They manage to get most elementary school kids into what is considered walking distance (although that distance is a joke for the younger kids - there's now way I'd have a kid walking the busy streets around here for that distance). For Middle and High School there are NO buses at all run by the school district - the kids are expected to use city buses and/or light rail. The city runs a few special bus routes for the middle schools that hit the neighborhoods that are assigned to the school, but if you open enroll into a different school, go to one of the magnet schools, or your house is far from one of the few bus stops on the special school routes, oh well - you either piece together a plan using the standard city bus routes or you find a way for your kid to be picked up!

 

[undertheradar]

Honestly, I'm sure that every parent would like his/her child picked up last and dropped off first. There are so many parts of the country where bus service is no longer provided, it looks as if the district is going to have to make someone unhappy to be able to provide service to many others. The simplest solution is to drive your kids yourself, as you can then be in control of the drop off/pick up times.

 

[pixiewings71]

At least you have the bus....I don't even get to have my kids bussed to school, which would really help me out. DD12 starts at 9 am, DD16 at 8 and I work at 8.

 

[disykat]

I usually drove my kids to school to sleep the extra 45 minutes, because they were the closest stop to the school and got picked up first. The bus came right by on the way back but didn't stop because it was on the other side of a 50 mph street and NO ONE was allowed to cross. Funny thing was - half the kids at our bus stop were from the OTHER side! We could never get them to understand that if they put the stop on the other side, the same number (sometimes less) would have to cross.

 

[POOHsie]

In elementary school, my DD's bus stop was 2 blocks straight down the street, though my DD was the only child on the street getting on the bus. I was told it was b/c other kids were picked up at that cross street. I somehow got through that they would stop in front of our house for my DD's pick-up. Only times it didn't work was when there was a substitute driver.

 

[lindsmom]

We are a 10 minute walk from dd's school, and last year they wanted her on the bus for 45 minutes. I drive her because I didn't want my 10 year old riding the bus with high schoolers for nearly an hour to go less than half a mile. She walks home some days (I pick her up other days) and I would like them to install a sidewalk, but she's careful.

I was annoyed when they changed the route (used to be a spoke configuration starting outside and working in toward the schools, so she was always last on, first off) because one of the reasons we chose this location when we bought was so that we'd be close to the schools. It was a plus, and we ended up getting penalized for that choice.

Oh well. Like others have said, at least bus is available (for those that will use it)

 

[jkclark68]

Wow...almost 3 hours a day on a bus and school officials think that's acceptable?? I have been very lucky. The most time my kids spend on the bus is about 20 minutes which gets them to school with a good 10 minute window to get settled for the day. One year, due to different drop offs and school start times, I did have to pick up one daughter at one school (across the street from our house) but also be all the way at the other end of the street for a bus drop off at the same time. The school official's answer was "figure it out" but the bus driver was nice enough to drop my daughter off at the school I was at since she had to stop to pick up some kids anyway. Technically, she was not allowed to do that, but she did it anyway. Thank God for her is all I can say!!!!

Now I have 2 in middle school and we live too close for a bus. Carpooling with neighbors is a wonderful thing!!

 

[disykat]

We are a 10 minute walk from dd's school, and last year they wanted her on the bus for 45 minutes. I drive her because I didn't want my 10 year old riding the bus with high schoolers for nearly an hour to go less than half a mile. She walks home some days (I pick her up other days) and I would like them to install a sidewalk, but she's careful.

I was annoyed when they changed the route (used to be a spoke configuration starting outside and working in toward the schools, so she was always last on, first off) because one of the reasons we chose this location when we bought was so that we'd be close to the schools. It was a plus, and we ended up getting penalized for that choice.

Oh well. Like others have said, at least bus is available (for those that will use it)

I think that's key in why many of us are upset that our kids live close but are expected to ride the entire route to pick up the kids that live far away.

My school didn't allow kids from our area to walk, (only a 1/2 mile away, but across a busy street) but gave them a 45 minute bus ride instead!

 

[pixiewings71]

I think that's key in why many of us are upset that our kids live close but are expected to ride the entire route to pick up the kids that live far away.

My school didn't allow kids from our area to walk, (only a 1/2 mile away, but across a busy street) but gave them a 45 minute bus ride instead!

how do they stop kids from walking? I've never heard of that before.

 

[brymolmom]

While some of these bus ride times seem outrageous to me, I am often amazed at how many parents pick up/drop off their kids daily at our school - where no one is on the bus anywhere near as long as most of these posts.

One parent I spoke with said 'Yes, I pick him up because I don't want him on the bus that long.' And when I said when he gets dropped off she said 'around 3:45' and I mentioned 'You know the buses don't leave the parking lot til 3:30, right?'. I know there are reasons for it sometimes (early dance or sports practice or babysitting reasons), but I often look back on my own childhood and recall ONE girl from my class being picked up regularly - to attend an intensive dance company every day after school that was a distance away. We all just sat on the bus (and I distinctly recall having to stop at a school to allow some of the private school kids to transfer buses, where we would wait on the bus for about 10 extra minutes, plus the extra distance - we must have been on there for at least 45 - 60 minutes) and our parents let us (or told us) to suck it up. We never expected anything else. I often look at this type of thing as teaching our kids not to 'want' for anything...not to have any 'boring' time...or have to deal with unpleasant situations. I even know people who leave work early just so their kids don't have to take the bus home. Work = making money to put food on the table and child not wanting to sit on the bus for more than awhile - well, it seems obvious the more important choice there.

Like I said - no one here comes close to an hour and a half and likely I would at least ask some questions about that situation, but at my school I think that it is more catering to kids and kids not wanting to be bored for one minute.

Oh and heads up to some - don't forget that even though school is out at 3:15 and your child gets home at 4:00...they are not driving in a bus that whole way (same thing for the reverse on the way to school). Especially at the elementary level when they're making sure stray Kindergarteners have all found the right bus - the dismissal process takes a bunch of time. So likely they truly are only on the bus, driving for 25 - 35 minutes.

 

[brymolmom]

how do they stop kids from walking? I've never heard of that before.

Around here kids aren't 'allowed' to walk (that is, they need to have abus route but obviously alternative transportation can be offered by parent at times) unless there is a paved sidewalk the entire route AND that paved sidewalk needs to be one where the town plows it at each snowfall so it is always accessible.

We have houses directly across the strreet from the school and they are bused due to no sidewalks in our area and can't force kids to walk in the street.

 

[bettymae1121]

It wasn't much better when I was in high school An hour each way, and I passed two other high schools on the way to mine! But that's how the zoning worked, for some weird reason my sub-division got zoned for the HS furthest from us!

I couldn't even do my school work, I get car sick if I read in moving vehicles. So I sat and listened to my walk-man during the ride.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Honestly, I'm sure that every parent would like his/her child picked up last and dropped off first. There are so many parts of the country where bus service is no longer provided, it looks as if the district is going to have to make someone unhappy to be able to provide service to many others. The simplest solution is to drive your kids yourself, as you can then be in control of the drop off/pick up times.[/QUOTE]

Sorry but I have agree with this one. I have 3 kids in three different buildings and I work full time starting at 6:45am (my husnand starts at 5am). I do not want them bussed all over town so I pay someone to transport my kids to school. It is a choice. Either take what the school is offering or do it your self (or pay someone else to).

how do they stop kids from walking? I've never heard of that before.

Around here kids aren't 'allowed' to walk (that is, they need to have abus route but obviously alternative transportation can be offered by parent at times) unless there is a paved sidewalk the entire route AND that paved sidewalk needs to be one where the town plows it at each snowfall so it is always accessible.

We have houses directly across the strreet from the school and they are bused due to no sidewalks in our area and can't force kids to walk in the street.

I understand the sidewalk issue and safety but a school district can not "stop" you from having your kids walk or from you walking them. You as a parent control what happend to your child outside the school day. Now personally, I would not have them walk but that is my choice.

My suggestion is call and seek clarification but be willing to accept the answer. If it does not work for your family make other arrangements.

Good luck.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We live about 1.5 miles from the school. School starts at 9:10 - my kids are supposed to be picked up at 8:34. School lets out at 3:35 and they are home by 4:05.

Kids must be driven in or ride the bus - there are no walkers. Even the kids that live right across the street (busy 5 lane street) rides the bus.