Parents urge Williamsville school board to revise bus-stop policy over safety concerns

Multiple parents urged the Williamsville Central School District Board of Education to amend its bus-stop policy, saying rigid enforcement this year has created daily safety risks for children.

At the board's public comment period, Whitney Wilde said the district's strict adherence to Policy 57-10 has removed the informal flexibility that allowed bus drivers and parents to locate safer stops near children's homes. "Children as young as 5 are required to walk along a road that has no sidewalks and that has traffic that often does not adhere to posted speed limits," Wilde said. She asked the board to "trust your drivers and parents to work together to determine sensible locations based on actual conditions."

Lisa Perry pointed to the district's PTSI bus-stop safety audit and challenged its representativeness, saying the audit reviewed 71 stops out of more than 5,000 districtwide (under 1.5%). "That is far too small a sample to accurately represent safety districtwide," Perry said, and she asked the board to permit house-to-house pickups on streets without sidewalks. She also reported a petition nearing 500 signatures asking for flexibility.

Other speakers gave local examples: Maria Lagopoulos described a Forest Elementary stop that requires a young child to walk to a fire hydrant across a street with no sidewalks and warned winter conditions could make waiting at private driveways or in the roadway unsafe; Aaron Petritz said his cul-de-sac stop was moved to a more dangerous location despite prior stability; Andrea McLean called the change "reckless," asked for the metrics driving the policy change and requested the district prioritize safety over efficiency.

Those who spoke asked the board to revise policy language to allow case-by-case adjustments, restore discretionary ability for drivers and families, or specify house-to-house service on identified streets lacking sidewalks. Commenters noted that neighboring districts (Clarence, Sweet Home, North Tonawanda) provide either driveway pickups or bus aides and suggested Williamsville consider similar supports.

The board heard the comments during the meeting's public expression period and did not provide substantive responses on the record; Poulenc, the parliamentarian, reminded speakers that the board would respond by email after the meeting. The record does not show the board taking a formal vote on the policy tonight.

Next steps: commenters asked the board to (1) review Policy 57-10 for language permitting discretion where sidewalks or safe waiting areas are absent, (2) release metrics showing any time or cost savings from enforcement changes, and (3) consider pilot supports (bus aides or limited driveway pickups) used in neighboring districts.