At last week's Board of Education Budget hearing, the below testimony was shared. We encourage you to also consider registering to speak at the third budget hearing (the second is already full, so a third was created) on Tuesday, February 20th at 7:00: PMhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGDT0T_yyKfebyE4iFQsUSvHBzwntbnlJC8my-Ov9suhec_Q/viewform
"My name is Dr. Corinne Happel. I’m a board-certified pediatrician. I’m the founder of Neighbors for Buses, a grassroots, volunteer, non-partisan advocacy group that supports transportation for education.
I am here today to ask that the Board of Education work with the Howard County Public School System to budget for and to fund a reversal of recent school bus cuts.
What dollar value are we willing to spend to protect a child’s life?
Just this past November, in neighboring Prince George's County, two children ages 5 and 10 years old were killed after being hit by a van as they walked to school despite adult supervision (https://wjla.com/news/local/children-struck-vehicle-riverdale-park-elementary-school-prince-georges-county-elementary-school-crime-traffic-wounds-injuries-hospital-police-investigation-serious-tragic-morning-pgpd ).
School buses are the safest way for children to get to school per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Therefore, cuts to school bus service are cuts to child safety.
In neighboring Carroll County, all elementary school students qualify for a school bus ride and families are heavily discouraged from privately driving their children to school (https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1639155493/carrollk12org/oly1e4zzrpx9vm7oqufj/PARENTSTUDENTHANDBOOK8-29-19002.pdf see page 5).
We should never have cut any elementary school buses, and especially not without a prior public hearing.
Similarly, we never should have cut school bus service to middle schoolers and high schoolers without a prior public hearing. This school year, we have seen teens assaulted and robbed at gunpoint on their way to and from school. Increasing the non-transported distance, increases the likelihood that students will be alone and/or will have trouble getting help when incidents occur.
Just this past week, when our roads were filled with snow, it was clear that safe walking areas were not a priority for the county. The majority of Centennial Lane’s sidewalks, a road required for many walkers to access Centennial Lane Elementary, Burleigh Manor Middle, and Centennial High, was not cleared of snow even 5 days after the snowstorm. Other sidewalks and paths were similarly obstructed across the county, leaving children to walk on busy roads to get to school.
In December, we started a petition asking for the Board of Education to reverse school bus cuts to protect child safety. As of today, we have over 1740 signatures: https://www.change.org/SaveOurSchoolBusesHCPSSPetition3
Please work with county leaders to budget and fund a restoration of school bus service to children cut in Howard County. We need to protect child safety."