Dear Waunakee Community School District Board Members,

We, the undersigned families of the Waunakee School District, respectfully request reconsideration of the district’s decision to eliminate “unusually hazardous transportation” zones for grades 7–8 students living within the 1.75-mile boundary beginning in the 2026–2027 school year.

Many of our children will now be expected to walk long distances to and from Waunakee Middle School while navigating high-traffic roads including Woodland Drive and Division Street, areas that lack pedestrian-controlled crossing lights and continue to present significant safety concerns.

While the district previously identified these routes as hazardous during the middle school construction period, the underlying traffic and pedestrian risks remain. Students will still encounter:

heavy traffic during school commute hours,
limited protected crossings,
Wisconsin winter snow and ice conditions,
extreme wind chills,
and darkness during early morning travel for much of the school year.
Wisconsin Statute §121.54 specifically recognizes the responsibility of school districts to provide safeguards when unusual hazards exist along student walking routes. We believe these hazards continue to exist and warrant continued transportation consideration.

As parents, our concern is simple: we want our children to arrive at school safely every day. Middle school students should not be expected to independently navigate long-distance walking routes through busy intersections and severe winter weather conditions without adequate protections.

We respectfully ask the Board to:

reconsider the elimination of hazardous transportation zones,
conduct an updated pedestrian safety assessment,
evaluate traffic and winter safety conditions,
and consider preserving transportation eligibility for students near the outer edge of the boundary.
We appreciate your time, leadership, and commitment to student safety.

Sincerely,

Concerned WSD family members and  community members .