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Ridgewood parents urge board not to cut 'courtesy' busing for hazardous routes
Summary
Families on Undercliff and nearby streets told the board that ending courtesy busing would force young children to cross busy roads and train tracks, and asked the district to retain the W9 route or provide crossing guards. District officials said route letters and policy clarifications are forthcoming and that hazardous‑route criteria will be reviewed.
Residents of the Undercliff and Willard neighborhoods urged the Ridgewood Board of Education not to end courtesy busing for routes that community members have long considered hazardous.
Several parents told the board the W9 route that serves Undercliff, North Maple and nearby streets has been classified as hazardous for decades, with dangerous crossings that include two crossings of Glenn Avenue or, for a shorter route, an open railroad crossing. “If our route W9 to Wheeler Elementary has been hazardous for the past 26 years, what has changed now?” asked parent Monica Aula.
Other speakers highlighted logistics for families who work and warned that replacing daily busing with a long walk or complex transfer would be unrealistic for many households. One caller asked whether the district is using the shortest walking route as its measure of hazard and suggested the board consider allowing families to enroll children at the closest elementary school when such route changes create unsafe walks.
Administration responses and next steps: board members said they will reexamine hazardous‑route definitions and sidewalk/crosswalk availability, and that letters to families affected by proposed courtesy‑busing changes were being finalized and would go out soon. The board’s policy committee asked finance to clarify custodial‑billing and facility fee distinctions related to community uses of school fields.
What to watch: the board intends to finalize the budget on May 4, which could lock in the district’s revised approach to subscription busing; affected families should watch for district mailings with route lists and subscription options, and for a finance/policy follow‑up on how the district will handle fee waivers or hardship requests.
