RRISD Parents Protest Bus Route Change

AUSTIN -
Some parents in the Round Rock School District are not happy about the school board's decision to get rid of some bus routes and they came out Tuesday morning to protest. FOX 7's Lauren Petrowski visited Deerpark Middle School to talk to hose parents meeting at Robinson Park before walking as a group, with their kids, over to the deer park campus.

They're protesting the board's decision to eliminate four bus routes in the Milwood and Deerpark neighborhoods, forcing about two hundred kids to walk to school. Under school policy, but service is not mandatory to students who live within two miles of their school, but for a couple years those kids have been able to ride buses.

That's because parts of the neighborhoods were considered "hazardous" by the district and school board for not having proper sidewalks. But Round Rock ISD officials say those sidewalks have been built so they are no longer hazardous.

At the end of March, the school board voted to eliminate some routes. Many parents showed up to speak at several school board meetings to express concern for their kids having to walk to school. They say Anderson Mill is dangerous and it's not safe for kids to walk or bike on the busy street.

"During the morning commute, when our kids walk, there's a high volume of traffic. They've reduced the school zone so it's shorter right now, they've also increased the speed limit within the school zone from 20 to 25 miles an hour, and you take our 200 kids that have our buses eliminated and you put them there with all that traffic, and it's just asking for trouble,” said Round Rock ISD parent Monica Gillespey.

Parents tell us a kid on his bike was hit by a car on Anderson mill two weeks ago.That kid is doing ok, but parents don't want that to happen again. District officials say the board has already made its decision about the bus routes and it's not often that the board overturns a decision. The district says the cuts will save about $700,000 dollars.

Parents are hoping to get board members to reconsider eliminated the bus routes at their meeting in June.