AMHERST, NY (WKBW) — Some Sweet Home Elementary School parents are upset with a new plan by the district to eliminate bus pickups for students living within a quarter mile of their school, fearing it could put their children in danger.
Some Sweet Home Elementary School parents are upset with a new plan by the district to eliminate bus pickups for students living within a quarter mile of their school, fearing it could put their children in danger.
Beginning next school year, affected students will have to walk to school, but it is a change the district says is necessary due to an ongoing bus driver shortage.
Anna Schwass, a grandmother of a Sweet Home High School student, reached out to 7 News after learning that the school board had approved the plan to stop bus pickups for certain students at the district's four elementary schools in Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda.
“We need to watch these kids,” Schwass declared.
Schwass fears that without bus service, students as young as five years old won’t be safe if they walk alone.
“If you’re five years old walking the street by yourself, because there will be five-year-olds, there are a lot of parents that won’t walk their kids, and we need to pay attention and watch these kids,” Schwass explained.
Schwass raised concerns for parents who might not be able to adjust their schedules to walk their children to school.
“Some people work. They’ve got to leave. Are they going to start a program for early drop-off? Because I had to do that all the time. They have to get to work. But what are these parents going to do when they’re used to their kids taking the bus home and being safe?” Schwass added.
In response, Sweet Home Superintendent Michael Ginestre reassured the community that student safety remains a top priority.
“Safety is the number one concern,” Ginestre said. He explained that the district has no choice but to implement the change due to the ongoing shortage of school bus drivers. He also said the new policy would free up one bus per school, affecting about 20 to 35 students at each of the four elementary schools.
Ginestre noted that the district would be working closely with the Town of Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda to ensure students' walking routes are safe.
“We’re going to work with the Town of Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda to let them know that we’ve instituted the walking radius. We want to work with our neighbors around the school to make sure driveways, walkways, and sidewalks are clear, and that’s important as well,” Ginestre stated.
While this change will not affect students at Sweet Home Middle or Sweet Home High School, as those schools are located on busier roads, other parents have voiced concerns.
A petition on Change.org has been created, urging the school board to reconsider the decision, with parents arguing that the new plan will “jeopardize” children’s safety and “add undue stress to parents.”
Schwass, who is advocating for safer alternatives, proposed the creation of a Children Watch program.
“Let’s get the grandmas, the retirees, the moms that don’t work, and you know what? Reward them. Give them coffee, give them donuts. Thank you for watching these kids every day, because that’s what it takes,” Schwass described.
Superintendent Ginestre expressed support for Schwass’s idea.
“She had a great idea. Maybe there could be some neighborhood watches that could be put in place. We would be willing to partner with her on that and talk to her about that, and be a good community neighbor for her,” Ginestre replied.
At least eight other nearby school districts have already implemented walking radius policies.
