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There are some instances that I agree with the OP but there are very limited. For example for parents that are teachers there are no buses between schools because of the cut back. For example a child in elementary but their parent teaches middle school or visa versa. If a child can stay home alone then they should be able to walk home. Most kids even have a cell phone now a days, heck I walked home from school even in the snow(grew up in the Boston area) and did not even have a cell phone. If a parent is at home waiting why can't that parent pick up their child from school?
I'm sorry for your concerns about your kids but I wonder why it's such a hardship on them to walk.
When I was in elementary school, I had to walk 1.5 miles down Bellaire Blvd (plus another 0.5 miles to my street). All the kids who went to Holy Ghost Elementary walked, but none of us complained.
And, when I went to Bellaire High School, I (and hundreds of other students) walked at least two miles down Rice Avenue every day. None of us complained or expected to be chauffered.
Many parents have come to find out that they are losing their school route if they are living within 1 mile radius of school. I happen to be within one mile radius however when using the walkway and safe route to school my child will walk nearly two miles.
We can start by thanking the politicians that cut education funding to balance their budgets.
NO it is not "hardship" for my child to walk. That is funny. Do you realize how much we pay in taxes? Do you know that many children will be walking by child predator homes. Parents never considered this prior, as bus was available to them. The routes that other children can walk does not have a walkway available and they have to cross creeks.
On top of that can you imagine the traffic it will create for the parents who are working? What do you think will happen to the carpool line. It will increase SIGNIFICANTLY.This affects WORKING parents as much as parents who have one person who can stay home. Some families are here from out of town,overseas who have NOBODY that can assist in their child getting to and from work. Why should they have to rely on other's help when all they did before was put their child on the bus made sure they got to and from school.
Not all families have one parent who can stay home. Contrary to what you may think of Katy parents, THEY DO WORK! To afford things like the school and the bus service. Not all can supervise or afford a sitter to walk with their child as they are making ends meet. This is not something that katy residents came into knowingly.
Like I said agree or not, this is for parents who do want to be informed and do something about it.
Maybe BACK THEN there was not as many child predators who are willing to go so far to take a child and I do not even want to THINK of what they can do. Maybe BACK THEN there was not as much crime as now. Maybe BACK THEN your parents CHOOSE to move to a district with NO BUS service and it was a choice.
MAYBE NOW parents moved here for the services and schools provided by the district. MAYBE now parents are much more fearful of what can happen to their child.
For you to say its such "hardship" for kids to walk is so insulting.
Some children do not have a safe walkway to walk by are they expected to cross a creek or swim before school? Last I checked its year 2012 not 1950.
But when the kids walked to school back in the day, there was not a child preditor on every corner. The schools had shorter school days so the children weren't walking in the complete dark. The children did not have to walk along 40mph major streets with no sidewalks to get home. I would love my child to walk but please give us the safe means to do so.
usc619...
Not all stay at home moms are technically "stay at home". Some keep children in the day so that they can afford to stay home. Some take care of elderly parents or disabled children. You can't put everyone into the same category unless you know. We pay very high school taxes and move here for this school district.
To All...
Us parents just want safe transportation for our children wether that be a bus, paved sidewalk, etc. We are all in different sitatuions and have to assess what that is for us. To tell parents two weeks before the school year of this shows that the district was trying to catch us off guard on purpose. They passed this in May without any information to parents this was coming.
Most of us like myself, can't take off work everyday to pick up our child. If they want our taxes, we have to continue to work. We also don't want our child swimming across a bayou or walking 2.4 miles to get to school on a 40mph street with no sidwalks.
NO it is not "hardship" for my child to walk. That is funny. Do you realize how much we pay in taxes? Do you know that many children will be walking by child predator homes. Parents never considered this prior, as bus was available to them. The routes that other children can walk does not have a walkway available and they have to cross creeks.
On top of that can you imagine the traffic it will create for the parents who are working? What do you think will happen to the carpool line. It will increase SIGNIFICANTLY.This affects WORKING parents as much as parents who have one person who can stay home. Some families are here from out of town,overseas who have NOBODY that can assist in their child getting to and from work. Why should they have to rely on other's help when all they did before was put their child on the bus made sure they got to and from school.
Not all families have one parent who can stay home. Contrary to what you may think of Katy parents, THEY DO WORK! To afford things like the school and the bus service. Not all can supervise or afford a sitter to walk with their child as they are making ends meet. This is not something that katy residents came into knowingly.
Like I said agree or not, this is for parents who do want to be informed and do something about it.
Maybe BACK THEN there was not as many child predators who are willing to go so far to take a child and I do not even want to THINK of what they can do. Maybe BACK THEN there was not as much crime as now. Maybe BACK THEN your parents CHOOSE to move to a district with NO BUS service and it was a choice.
MAYBE NOW parents moved here for the services and schools provided by the district. MAYBE now parents are much more fearful of what can happen to their child.
For you to say its such "hardship" for kids to walk is so insulting.
Some children do not have a safe walkway to walk by are they expected to cross a creek or swim before school? Last I checked its year 2012 not 1950.
It is time to stop watch the news at night and making you so paranoid. There was crime back then, it was not that many years ago. Just it was not plastered all over the place for TV rating like it is today. This entitlement generation has to stop. I went to college so I should be handed a good job and not have to work hard for it, I pay good taxes so I should get anything I want from the government.
WAKE UP ALREADY, there are cutbacks everywhere because there is no money. Those high taxes you think you are paying are not covering everything. Talk to the teachers and support staff that were laid off at the end of this years school year even though Katy continues to grow. That is a lot more important that a kid having to walk to school or walking a little more to avoid a creek or be taught not to talk to strangers. Take this as an opportunity to teach your child responsibly and how to be safe walking to and from school and help them with development to become a contributing adult.
It's a tough situation. I lost bus service for my 7th grader too. It's a mile and a half turn-by-turn because she can't fly. And yet, the bus will be in the neighborhood because we are on the bubble.
My worry for her is the 4 lane 4 way stop sign (no stoplight/crosswalk). People are idiots and obviously never learned how to WAIT THEIR TURN at a 4 way stop. I know this as a driver. I worry about her navigating it as a walker/biker. Both parents work, and we have elementary kids to get off to school too.
While I am affected, and yes have a vested interest, I am dismayed at all the whining and hyperbole. KISD did a poor job getting the word out. KISD claimed it was lack of bus drivers, and yet haven't done anything about it but a job fair next week to save face. Some routes validly need to get changed, and I sincerely hope theydo, even if mine isn't one of them.
But the whining and entitlement is making us all look bad. We aren't ALL entitled to bus service. Parents have the responsibility to get their kids safely to school. We moved from CyFair with a 2 mile radius that was not a safe route. So we used before school care. Others carpooled or hired/favored a friend to help out. In the end, the whole neighborhood got their kids to school, and still do today, 5 years later!
The valid concerns and complaints are getting drowned out by the "I pay taxes! I work, so don't count on me to get my kid to school safely!". I'm sorry but the child-snatcher cries bug me too. I feel as safe here as I do anywhere. Which means be smart and look out for strangers, but I do let my kids ride/walk to their friends house.
I think no matter how Mayberry, perfect, picket fence you get their is always going to be someone upset about something.
I've taken my girls to volunteer at Star of Hope. They have family shelters, where moms dads kids and babies just seem so thankful to have a safe place to be. Have you been in that part of town? (Ardmore or Dowling?). I cannot imagine having a conversation with a mom there about child safety and how bad I have it in Katy. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed. Someone could only dream to have my problem. A 12 year old riding her bike a mile and a half to school.
I've never felt entitled to bus service. However, I will greatly miss it! I wish I had more time to get arrangements made, but somehow I will make it happen.
BTW
The funny thing, when we did have bus service, moms in my neighborhood whined too. It was too crowded, too hot, too long, too rowdy, too unsafe to ride to Woodcreek Jr Hi. I know several moms who arranged carpool because they felt "safer" in minivans than the big bad bus. Now we all whine because they took the bus away?
One more comment... Katy ISD asked for this problem when they pandered to neighborhood petty concerns when drawing school boundaries.
We've got kids who can see Beck JH in their backyard, but bus to Beckendorff because "omg! All of Grand Lakes must stay together. You promised!"
Moms drive their kids past Griffin Elem to get to Holland elem for the same reason. I was on a parent board for that rezone. All the people crying (real tears!) to keep their neighborhood together. Making scandalous flyers and speculating about apartments yet to be built and how to keep them out of their schools.
We have a new high school being built as we speak. This winter we will have to talk about what neighborhoods will have to rezone to it. No one will want to. Katy HS is a sacred cow. People will say crap how they are the only Cinco neighborhood that has to go. Their will be real tears shed by real moms.
Imagine if you will, drawing that silly radius around the school when planning school boundaries. Kids would actually go to the school closest to them... Thus less bus service needed.
Back in the long ago, when I grew up, we walked, but...
I lived where we had sidewalks and *if* there was a dangerous traffic zone, they did provide buses even if you were less than a mile away. I am not sure how they determined if you had to cross a dangerous street though because I always walked.
Crossing creeks or highways would certainly be considered dangerous, but a longer walk might not be. Kids from the neighborhood walked together, btw. Is that an option? A longer walk is not so awful as long as it is safe.
As to child predators, they were there forever, you just did not know about it because there was no *list.* Note that there are plenty who have not been caught whom you don't know about even today. Also note that most predators are not the strangers you are thinking of. Those who prey on kids are your uncles, your friends, your neighbors, your couches, your teachers, etc. It is trusted acquaintances who molest kids for the most part, not those *scary* strangers.
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