What ever happened to taking the bus to school?

[xApril]

I was dropped off at school in elementary. Our school is in our neighborhood but we have ex-sexual predators (doesn't make sense to me since it's SO close to the school, but whatever..) so my parents would just drop me off in the morning. My middle school was just outside the neighborhood so no bussing for that, they drove me since it was a busy road and a bit of a walk. Since 9th grade, I have taken the bus. Sometimes I get driven to the bus stop, but that's only if it's really cold weather. They just don't sell good warm clothing in Florida. Practically everything at the stores is cotton or polyester..

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We never even looked into bus service for DS. Our district has busses for kids who live more than 2 miles from the school, but we live pretty close to the school. Not sure we would even qualify. But I would definitely not be comfortable with him walking! I drop DS off on my way to work, DH picks him up.

The problem with busses is that they pick the kids up MUCH earlier than school starts so the kids who eat breakfast at school will have time to eat. DS eats at home, so there is no reason to send him that early.

He is applying to a magnet high school, and if he is accepted then he WILL ride the bus for the next 2 years. We will drive him to the local school to be picked up, and he will ride the bus from there.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Our school district is almost completely bussed. The thought never occured to me not to put my children on the bus.

Same here. But the seniors at the HS can drive to school (and Juniors, if there are parking passes left over), so once my DDs got their licenses/cars and a parking space, they drove. DS's girlfriend (a senior) picks him up for school now (he's a Junior). In the beginning of the year, I did take him to school because *I* wanted to get up and out early in the morning (I'm a SAHM).

 

[daughtersrus]

I read on here all the time about problems people run into taking their kids to school or picking them up. problems withe the pickup line, problems dropping off at school, etc. So my question is this: Why doesn't your child take the bus? I recall briefly when I was a freshman in high school, our district lost it's budget and had to operate on an austerity budget so anyone living within 3 miles of the school lost bus service (that would be me!)...so my best friend and I got driven in the morning and WALKED home three miles after school. Then as a senior in HS I had a problem with my back that made sitting excruciating, so my mom drove me the 5 minutes to school rather than endure 30 minutes on the bus. I still had to take the bus home though.

Outside of those extenuating circumstances (like being bullied, or missing the bus, or a medical issue) why do so many kids get driven to school? My mom would have laughed right at me if I had asked to be driven everyday.

In our case, it's because taking a bus is NOT an option. If you live less than 1 1/2 miles from school, the only way to get a bus is if parents pay and there is room on a bus that is already passing your house. In our district, the cost is over $500 per child per year.

Walking 1 1/2 miles in the winter with snow is not really practical for young children. Besides that, I'm not sure some of the children would even know how to get to our local elementary school. We're in a subdivision where the roads do not run straight (north south or east west). The school is located adjacent to a park where many of the kids have to walk past a large lake and then over a walking bridge. There is no supervision in the park.

I would LOVE for a bus to be an option instead of driving every day!

 

[laurie31]

Huh - am I really the only here one with this situation? My DS doesn't take the bus because he's not old enough to be home alone and the bus comes after I've gone to work and drops off long before I get home. Before and after school care is at his school, but no bussing for it; I drop off and pick up on my way to and from work.

I had half your situation until my kids were old enough to stay alone. I leave for work before the bus gets here after school, but I used a babysitter. The sitter came, I left, and 20 minutes later, the kids got home. Yes, I paid her to sit for 20 minutes in my empty house, because I didn't want to leave without knowing for sure that she was there.

We didn't use after school care because the kids had activities in the afternoons, (the sitter drove them if I was working) plus I only worked 2 days a week then, so it wasn't worth it. You had to pay for the whole time, even if you only used it two days a week. I didn't want to pay for 3 days I didn't need.

DH leaves for work at 6:50, so if I ever have to be at work early in the daytime, his mom comes over and takes DD to school. We aren't allowed to drop off before 7:30 under any circumstances. They aren't "open" before then.

My older DD is 13 now; she babysits for others - so I don't need a sitter anymore, but on the days they have after-school activities and I'm working, I still have to hire someone to drive them.