A change in busing services had some parents speaking out at Monday night’s Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education meeting.
The district announced that next year busing services will no longer be supplied to certain parts of the Stonebridge neighborhood and surrounding subdivisions. The change affects students that attend Brooks Elementary School, Granger Middle School, and Metea Valley High School.
The concerns
One concern of parents is the distance the students would have to walk. Others voiced concerns about those attending Metea Valley having to cross a heavily trafficked Eola Road.
“We as parents cannot understand, given all the safety concerns, you are asking kids to walk 1.50 miles in the dark, in the winter on icy roads, cars zipping by and you keep saying it’s safe to walk across,” said Hiren Mehta, a speaker from public comment.
“Kids deserve a safe ride” sign held up by a parent
Illinois Department of Transportation criteria
In order to determine busing eligibility and whether a risk exists, the district uses legal criteria from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
The district stated, “The area we evaluated is less than 1.50 miles from Metea Valley High School and does not qualify for transportation based on 1.50-mile eligibility. We completed the IDOT Serious Hazard Study on the area in compliance with IDOT’s instructions and the walking route does not qualify as a hazard.”
What’s changed?
Busing service has been supplied to the area since 2009 when Metea Valley first opened, which had parents asking why this change is just now taking place.
“What has changed since then, for the board to make this decision? We understand traffic on Eola has grown substantially since then. I’ve heard from board members that funding is not an issue, so why are we canceling the bus service,” said Shushil Kuma, a speaker from public comment.
The district says they “are evaluating every area in the district that there are no documents or IDOT approval to make a current determination. Once a new Illinois Department of Transportation Serious Safety Hazard is completed and the current conditions are studied, it completely negates and overwrites any previous hazard study or determination that may have been in place whether it’s active or not.”
A parent holding a “Bring back our buses” sign
All affected families have been notified and the district is in contact with those concerned.
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