Letter to the WCP Editor – 4.26.12

Posted: Friday, April 27, 2012 3:33 pm

To the Editor,
My child has been going to Martin (school) for 5 years now. Thursday morning my child got ready for the bus and went out to the driveway as she does every morning to catch the bus. The bus driver stopped at the driveway above us, which is a good distance. My daughter was standing in her driveway.
The bus driver honked her horn and motioned for my daughter to come down the road to get on the bus. I told my child she was not going in the road. The bus driver honked again and motioned for my child again. I stood up on the porch and pointed that my daughter was in the driveway. The bus driver pointed in front of the bus for her to come there, shook her head “no” and crossed her arms. She sat there for a few minutes, shut the door and drove by. She went past my daughter and did not pick her up.
I took my daughter to school and talked to the principal and she told me to call Mr. Simmons.
I talked to Mr. Simmons and he assured me this would be taken care of. That afternoon, I received a note from the bus driver and Mr. Simmons stating we would have a new designated bus stop. This was to save on fuel. This was also the first note I received about this. I then went to the Board of Education and talked to a lady who said she would have Mr. Kelly would call me. He called and talked to me and said this was the way it was going to be with a new bus stop to save fuel. He said he had been out there and that looked to be the best place for the new bus stop.
I told Mr. Kelly I was sitting in the E.W. James parking lot talking to you and you have two buses sitting here, was that saving fuel?
There are no houses here and the children are in school.
My daughter has been getting on a bus at this driveway since she started school. She rides the bus every morning. The children down the road do not ride the bus all the time.
We have had two children hit on this road waiting for the bus before.
Mr. Kelly and Mr. Simmons, I would like to inform you of something. If you really came and looked at the driveway you designated for the new bus stop, you would know it is very busy that time of morning with workers and roofing and concrete trucks coming in and out. Is that safe for children to meet in that driveway?
We are concerned about the fuel and this is hard on everybody, but I am concerned about the kids’ safety first.
I do not think this has been done right at all. My children’s safety comes first. I feel my child has been done wrong by being left when I didn’t know what was going on myself. There wasn’t even a note; am I just supposed to read minds? My child is not walking down a road to get on a bus. I can’t believe a bus driver would motion for a 9-year-old child to do that.
You know, every day you see how children are being grabbed and kidnapped. I just saw on television where a little boy was kidnapped 33 years ago and was just found dead. It was his first time to walk to a bus stop by himself.
I think this is so wrong, but I hope you save on all your fuel like we are all trying to do.
Don’t worry about our children’s safety. God watch over them all and keep them safe from harm.
Cindy Cruse
Martin

WCP 4.26.12

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