ELLICOTT CITY, Md — Thursday night, parents in Howard County spoke with the school board about the lack of buses for students in the county.
“2,377 children are still cut in the superintendents 60 day report, we really want those students to get their bus service back," says Corinne Happel.
A bus service taken away from students at a moments notice just before the new school year.
Jennifer Duan says her 12 year old son went from riding the bus everyday to walking.
“It has been hard. He walks even more than 1.5 miles each way just because the way they organize our neighborhood, part of them still gets buses but for him he hast to walk close to 1.7 miles each way," says Jennifer Duan.
She says she worries about him walking past cars on busy roads, but after two students were robbed at gun point last week, she says she has even more to worry about.
“Since last week, there were some instances of robbery happening to the high school kids that’s when I really starting to get concerned," she says.
“The trauma that children experience if they’re worried about going to school they’re worried about being approached at gunpoint that is mentally distracting," says Corinne.
Parents are stressing the need for buses and they want the school board to change the policy, making things the way they were before this school year.
Many parents unable to take their kids to school and don’t want their kids walking as we approach the colder months of the year.
“There are the haves, and the have nots in the community and we’re really concerned that cutting bus service really affects children who have less," says Corinne Happel.
Jennifer Duan says if things don’t change she may have to make sacrifices to make sure her son is safe.
“Being a working mom is very hard I feel the guilt. I even thought of changing my career since last week just to stay home so I can take him to school and pick him up and that shouldn’t be some thing working mothers have to go through.”
Thursday night's meeting was just a hearing so the board did not make any decisions.
