LETTER TO THE EDITOR: School bus needs to let students off closer to their homes

I recently observed two young girls being let off of a bus on Highway 301 just south of Lynches River. They crossed the highway and walked south along 301. The bus then turned right on Starburst.

My reason for this letter is the fact at that time the death of the young girl in California who had walked home from school, never to arrive alive.

I immediately sent an e-mail to the transportation director of Florence County District 3 and the Superintendent of same. As of this date, I have not received a response.

At the time, I did not know who these children were, but it took me only a short time to find the parents, who told me that they had been told this was because of cutbacks. Now my question is the policy and especially in view of the recent events.

This area has three known predators living in the immediate area. How can we subject our children to these possibilities? And another issue is the fact that I follow these buses quite often as they move from house to house, stopping, letting children off, and watching until the children are within arms reach of the house before the bus leaves.

I must say it is most annoying and sometimes questionable, but again with today’s events, possibly reasonable. But then, back to the two young girls walking along 301, the bus has made its turn and left view range, and there are no homes between the point that the children departed the bus and their home, which is two- to three-tenths of a mile of a walk. If they were approached head on, they would have choices of running back toward Florence or jumping into the large canals on either side of 301 at that point. Now what will these young girls do?

Now I understand the issues of the times, the economy is bad, cutbacks are needed, but please offer some convincing reasoning of putting these girls in harms way versus paying for ½-mile (round trip for the bus). If they are related to you, I don’t believe you can, I can’t and I am in no way related.

These are two girls who I have seen personally positioned in an uncomfortable position. And if we have no responsibility for the children, why does the buses have the “wait and see” apparent policy at convenient house stops? I wonder if these are the only two within District 3’s responsibility?

Don Pigate
Olanta