Students and parents urge Lawrence council to fund school buses, raise parking support after Abbott Lawrence move

Dozens of students, parents and community members used the council's public comment period to press the Lawrence City Council for immediate action on transportation after Abbott Lawrence Academy's planned move, saying many South-side students will face long walks, safety risks and unreliable public transit.

The comments came during the public participation portion of the council's special June 23 meeting. Resident Luz Diaz, who gave her address as 73 Newbury Street, told the council budget figures for Lawrence Public Schools' transportation have been inconsistent and said the superintendent had told the community "transportation was cut by 4,000,000," a figure Diaz said did not appear in council documents. "We need a plan. We need action," she said.

The speakers described concrete safety and access problems that they said would result from the ALA relocation. Student Azucena Flores, introduced herself as a rising senior at Abbott Lawrence Academy and said, "I walk to school regularly, which is a 35 minute walk... On the new campus that was given to ALA, that average time will be doubled" to about an hour each way. "This is 4 hours or 1 sixth of my entire day," she said, adding that she has experienced repeated street harassment and worried about younger students.

Student speakers and parents asked for: city-funded school buses for Abbott Lawrence Academy students coming from the South, a review of inconsistent transportation line items in the school budget, and exemptions or expanded parking for teachers at the new site. Christopher Baez, who gave his address as 25 South Street and said many teachers asked about parking at the new building, proposed exempting teachers from nearby meter fees, saying teachers could spend "almost $1,500 per school year" on parking.

Recreation and safety concerns were central to several comments. "Public transportation is not reliable whatsoever," student Ashanti Vargas said, arguing that mixed-age public buses pose safety and harassment risks for younger students. Multiple speakers said parents and teachers had not received clear follow-up from district officials after raising the issue.

Abbott Lawrence Academy and Lawrence Public Schools officials did not make a formal presentation during public comment; speakers urged the City Council to use its appropriation authority to add transportation funding to a supplemental budget or otherwise ensure safe, reliable routes to the new campus. No formal council action on ALA transportation was taken during public comment.

Why it matters: The student speakers emphasized personal safety, daily time loss and educational impacts if reliable transportation is not provided. Council control over city budget allocations means the City Council can direct supplemental city funds; speakers urged the council to act before the school year begins.

Council next steps: During this meeting the council continued deliberations on the FY2026 budget and on year-end transfers, matters that affect the city's ability to shift funds. Speakers asked the council to prioritize transportation funding during that process; the council did not make a binding decision on ALA transportation during the June 23 session.

For residents: parents and community members asked that councilors seek precise breakdowns of the district's transportation figures (three different totals were cited) and to press the superintendent and school committee for a written plan and timeline for buses and teacher parking.