Parents and a child urged the Snoqualmie Valley School District Board of Directors on July 10 to approve a petition that would reassign their North Sammamish neighborhood to a closer school district, saying current school assignments subject children to long bus rides and reduce family access and safety.

The petition — which petitioners said has been submitted to the district — asks the board to approve a transfer to schools closer to the speakers’ homes, allowing shorter commutes and access to aftercare and activities they said are unavailable under the current assignments.

Saurabh Shrivastava, a North Sammamish parent, told the board that his family is currently zoned to Snoqualmie Valley schools while Lake Washington schools are “103 miles away.” He said the elementary and middle school assigned to his daughter are about 9 miles from his home and the assigned high school is about 16 miles away. “When she turned 5, we couldn't send her to Paul City Elementary expecting a young child to do a 1 hour bus ride each way without access to a restroom,” Shrivastava said, adding that daily driving and two round trips a day were “not sustainable for us.”

Sonal Kumar, another parent from the same neighborhood, said the long travel time affects her ability to reach her child in an emergency and disrupts her work. “If my daughter gets sick and needs to be picked up, it could take me nearly an hour just to get her home,” Kumar said. She told the board that of the 65 homes in the neighborhood only four children attend Snoqualmie Valley schools and that, if enrolled, her younger child would initially be alone on a bus for roughly three miles before another student is picked up.

Ariadne Shrivastava, an 8‑year‑old who addressed the board, described missing neighborhood friendships because she attends a different school than the children who live across the street. “I would love to join the same school as the kids across the street so I can see them after school,” she said.

The speakers asked the board to consider zoning exceptions in cases where the assigned school is an hour away by bus while a nearer school is within walking distance. Petitioners said exchanging districts would allow students to use aftercare, participate in activities without lengthy transportation, and reduce the safety and emotional concerns families described.

The board accepted the public comments but did not take formal action on the petition during the July 10 meeting. Petitioners reported the petition had been submitted; the transcript does not record a board vote or staff directive on the request.

What was said at the meeting reflects petitioners’ experience and requests; the board did not announce a timeline or next steps for the petition during the session.