Monday, August 20, 2012
The change in bus routes was not political.
It is said that all politics is local. While the issue with the bus routes in Barrow County is not a political one, it brought out parents to be involved to express their dislike for the way the issue was handled. There are several lessons to be learned from this episode as school started back for another year. The first lesson is the need for an evaluation of the way decisions are communicated from the BOE to the public. Many, not all, people have computers. Having a website is one way of getting a message out to the people. Many, but not all, people have cell phones capable to receive text messages. E-mail has almost taken a backseat to the ever-advancing upgrades in technology. At some point in the process it would be good for the BOE …
Monday, August 13, 2012
With more media sources than ever in Barrow County ready to let the public know what is going on, one has to wonder why the public was caught off guard by the changes.
The new rules concerning bus routes in Barrow County proved to be harder to implement than had been thought by the Board of Education. Tuesday night’s meeting found the board room full with parents concerned about the safety of their children. Following a tense meeting, the BOE announced they would backtrack on the plans to change the bus routes and go back to the older system. With cuts being made in funding, hard decisions are necessary. We are accustomed to bus transportation for our little ones to assure their safety in being transported back and forth to school; we have learned to depend on the school system to provide the necessary bus transportation. At this time of the year, I always try to remind everyone to be careful as they are…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Parents and school board members spoke out on the issue of parental responsibility zones and budget cuts.
During Tuesday's meeting of the Barrow County Board of Education, parents and board members commented on issues ranging from student safety in parental responsibility zones to budget cuts. Here are highlights from the meeting. To read about the board's decision to approve a plan to provide transportation for students in parental responsibility zones, click here. "We’re going to overburden the police department with the supervision of our children when it’s the school’s responsibility. ... You guys need to sit down and reconfigure the budget somehow so these people [bus drivers] are compensated for what they do." — Greg Eady, parent of a Haymon-Morris Middle School student “As a mom I am here to fight for the safety of my children. It is …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Several parents addressed board members during Tuesday night's meeting asking them to reconsider implementing the zones.
Two options were presented to the Barrow County Board of Education on Tuesday night that would provide transportation to students affected by the school system's implementation of "parental responsibility zones." Several concerned parents addressed the board, asking members to reconsider the zones, which would make students in middle and high school who live within 1.5 miles from the schools they attend, according to the nearest practical route by bus, ineligible for transportation services provided by the school system. According to Superintendent Wanda Creel, implementing the zones would save the school system $467,000. After hearing from the parents who signed up to address the board, Creel presented both plans for board members to …
Monday, August 6, 2012
"I think we’re concerned right now based on the areas where children have to walk," said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who is not on the meeting's agenda but will be available to answer questions.
The Barrow County Sheriff's Office is working with the county's Roads and Bridges Department as well as the Winder Police Department to address safety concerns as some students become ineligible for bus transportation this school year. The Barrow County School System has implemented "parental responsibility zones" in which middle and high schoolers who live within 1 1/2 miles by bus route from the school they attend are not eligible for transportation services. According to the school system, this a cost-saving change, but concerned parents have raised questions about the safety of students walking to and from school. Sheriff Jud Smith plans to attend Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting. "I don’t plan on speaking unless I’m asked…
Crista Daniel
10:21 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
It was not only a change in bus routes. The parents were informed by their children that bus routes would not exist for middle and high school students, discriminating against their age, while routing buses to the same locations for elementary students. The bigger issue was that we were not informed by the BOE of the change and were told by our kids during the summer. The BOE does not have a … more ›