HISD mom concerned over daughter’s bus stop assigned 3 miles away from home
Mother of Houston ISD student concerned about bus stop being 3 miles away from home
A Houston ISD mother is pushing for changes after she says her 10-year-old daughter was assigned a bus stop about three miles from their home. FOX 26's Jillian Hartmann has more.
HOUSTON - A Houston ISD mother is pushing for changes after she says her 10-year-old daughter was assigned a bus stop about three miles from their home.
Houston ISD parent seeking change to bus stop assignment
What they're saying:
Alena Badon’s daughter is a fourth grader at Arabic Immersion Magnet School. Badon said the bus stop is roughly an hour-long walk from their home and would require her daughter to walk along busy streets and across a highway.
Badon first contacted the district about her concerns before reaching out to FOX 26.
"I don’t see how dropping off a child in the middle of my workday three miles away from home is really helpful to the community at all," Badon said.
Badon said she has been utilizing HISD transportation services and, until this school year, her daughter was dropped off on their street.
She said that changed this year when her daughter was assigned a stop at an elementary school about three miles away.
"This year they have adopted a hub system, a hub model, and so, instead of being dropped off on our street, our children are dropped off at the nearest elementary school relative to where we live, and unfortunately for us, she’s dropped off at a school that’s three miles away," said Badon.
"What it would look like for my child is that she would need to walk down Hazard Street, cross over the highway some way and then probably walk two-and-a-half, three miles down Richmond Avenue," Badon said.
Badon said she is especially concerned about her daughter making that walk alone in Houston’s extreme heat or during severe weather.
"It’s just totally unreasonable," she said. "Not a safe walk at all."
Badon is asking HISD to reconsider how bus stops are assigned for students attending magnet schools. She also wants the district to consider adding more buses and drivers or offering assistance to families who now have to pay for after-school care.
"I’m just looking for a lifeline here," Badon said. "I don’t want to feel like I’m out here on my own, having to scramble and figure out how to get my daughter home from school every day."
The other side:
FOX 26 reached out to HISD about Badon’s concerns.
The district said," K-12 general education students attending their zoned or magnet schools are eligible for bus transportation if they live two or more miles from their school, with pick-up and drop-off at designated HISD bus stops. Eligible students attending their zoned school will be assigned a bus stop within approximately two miles of their home. HISD strives to provide eligible students attending a school of choice a bus stop that is within three miles of their home. More information: https://www.houstonisd.org/families-students/transportation."
What's next:
For now, Badon said she is leaving work about two hours early to pick up her daughter or relying on community members to help get her home.
The Source: Alena Badon, statement from Houston ISD