Calgary parents still concerned about school bus stops, fees
Posted Sep 2, 2016 7:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Public schools are back in session Tuesday, but how students get there continues to be an issue of contention.
Some parents are still concerned their kids have to walk too far to get to bus stops and they aren’t happy with the cost of busing either.
Lisa Davis with the Calgary Association of Parent and School Councils tells City News even with some changes this spring, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) still expects children as young as six to walk 1.6 kilometres to get to the bus stop.
“When you consider that adults walk a quarter of that distance to get to a Calgary Transit stop, I’m not sure why we continue to treat children worse than we treat adults,” she said.
“Last year, very quietly, the CBE doubled the fees for those schools that are serviced by Calgary Transit,” explained Davis. “So parents now with two children who are on Calgary Transit and paying lunch fees are paying $2,000 just to get their child to school.”
Barbara Silva with Support Our Students Alberta says the only option for parents has been to fork over more cash.
“People were willing to pay for better services, meaning closer bus stops and shorter commutes for children,” she explained adding the fees are excessive.
“We shouldn’t be charging students to go to school,” argued Silva. “They should have access to school and education and all the resources that are required to acquire a quality education free from fees.”
The board released the bus schedules early this year to give parents more time to figure out what they’re going to do.
Both women admit there’s no way to know how many students will be affected by the long walks until the school year starts.
