Parents, residents tell Penridge School Board neighborhood bus-stop moves created safety hazards

Several parents and residents told the Penridge School District Board of School Directors that a recent transportation change moved a neighborhood bus stop onto a busy intersection, exposing children — including kindergarteners — to safety risks when they must cross a double-yellow main road to board buses.

At the meeting, Capri Pie of East Rock Hill Township said the district’s August 14 email announcing bus-stop adjustments described the changes as “developed in collaboration with district leadership, our transportation department, and union partners” and intended to “ensure safe, efficient, and reliable transportation for every qualified student.” Pie said that, in practice, moving a stop “from a quiet street within the neighborhood…to an intersection with a main thoroughfare” required children to wait at and cross to the bus at a heavier-traffic location and that “Crossing the street to board a bus is a known hazard.”

Otroopchak, a parent who…