We, the undersigned parents, guardians, and concerned residents of the Sycamore community, respectfully urge the school district and school council to reconsider the recent decision to discontinue bus transportation for our neighborhood in the upcoming school year. Our neighborhood is located between Somonauk, Bethany and Borden and is bordered by an Industrial Park that includes active factories such as Ideal Electrical, Ideal Industries and Driv-Lok. This change poses serious safety risks to our children and impacts their ability to access education in a safe and reliable manner.

This change places an undue burden on families, will increase traffic at drop off and pick up and, more importantly, poses serious safety risks for our children. The proposed walking and biking route requires students—some as young as five—to travel through industrial areas and along busy streets such as Park Avenue and Borden Avenue. These areas are frequented by semi-trucks, lack consistent pedestrian infrastructure, and have already been the site of a recent child-involved accident.

Many adults in our neighborhood have also experienced near misses in this area, highlighting the danger even for those with full awareness and experience navigating traffic. Expecting young children to walk or bike through these conditions unsupervised is simply unsafe.

We understand budget constraints and logistical challenges may have led to this decision. However, we strongly believe and safety and well-being of our children should always come first. We urge the school district to:

Reconsider the removal of the bus route to South Prairie Elementary School from our neighborhood.

Explore alternative transportation options for our children, and 

Engage with parents and community members to find a solution that ensures every child has access to a safe and reliable way to get to school. 

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Michael & Sarah Rexford

Maness Ct. Sycamore, IL