Parents Tell Pennridge Board Neighborhood Bus-Stop Move Left Child ‘Afraid’; Board Urged to Reinstate Stop
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Summary
Two parents told the Pennridge School District board that a recent routing change left an elementary student fearful and exposed to traffic and snowbank hazards; they urged the board to reinstate the prior stop and allow independent safety reviews.
Two parents told the Pennridge School District board on Monday that a recent bus-stop reassignment has left an elementary student afraid to use the morning stop and at risk from traffic and winter hazards.
"Nathan is afraid to go to his bus stop," said Crystal Kosley during the public-comment period, saying she has sent "over 200 plus communications" and that the district reassigned his long-standing residential stop to an area near a post office that "cannot be seen from home." Kosley said the location exposes her son to heavy truck traffic, limited visibility and no adult supervision and asked the board to "intervene now, reinstate this bus stop back to where it was for the past 6 years."
Star Bergey, who identified herself as a parent, described how recent snowbanks eliminated curb space at the reassigned stop and said students were forced to step over snowbanks. "There is nowhere for children to step down. There is nowhere for a vehicle to legally stop or physically stop," Bergey said. She urged the district to prioritize student safety and disability access in routing changes and said independent third-party safety evaluations have been blocked.
An attendee who identified himself as a behavior analyst praised the district’s move to build internal counseling capacity and said that insourcing could save the district about $300,000, a point offered in support of other recent decisions.
Board members did not take immediate public action during the comment period. Earlier in the meeting administration noted the district has increased driver pay and recruitment efforts and said a full rerouting occurred last summer; parents told the board those changes have not addressed the specific neighborhood safety concerns. The public-comment segment concluded without an announced remediation plan.
What’s next: The board's agenda continued with committee reports and votes. Parents requested the district reopen routing decisions for the affected neighborhood and to permit an independent safety review; the board did not provide a timeline for that review at the meeting.
Source: Public comments, Penridge School District board meeting, Jan. 26, 2026 (public-comment period).