Lee County Schools
Parents upset about their child's longer walks to bus stop
Board member does 2 mile walk to bus stop with student, Fox 4
CAPE CORAL - It's 8 a.m. and 13-year-old Kendall Attwood is getting ready for school.
After breakfast, it's time to catch the bus.
But today, Fox 4 is tagging along. We invited Lee County School Board Member Don Armstrong to come with us and see the 2-mile trek Kendall has to take just to catch her bus.
The bus stop used to be by Kendall's house.
But this year, the school district tightened routes in an effort to curb long bus rides. They're also cutting off bus service inside gated communities. That has some parents mad.
"I have a 4-year old who is entering kindergarten," said Margaret D'Angelo, a parent in the Cape Royal gated community. "We just started two days ago and from my house to the gate is 2.2 miles.”
"Would you let her walk something like that?," asked Fox 4 reporter Matt Grant.
"Never," she said. "How could you?"
"It's ridiculous that our children, they expect them to walk 2.5 miles up to that bus stop," echoed another parent, Allison Brown.
Armstrong promised to take their concerns to the school board and he did.
"So I met Fox 4 over there this morning,” Armstrong told the school board at Tuesday's evening meeting. “8 o'clock bright and early. I didn't know I would be carrying [Kendall's] backpack too."
"The wellness center would be proud," said Armstrong. " I got my exercise, I promise you."
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Burke promised to look into the route.
"Obviously the safety issue that we heard tonight is a concern to us," he said.
MATT GRANT, REPORTER
mgrant@fox4now.com
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