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Middle School ‘Walk Zone’ Changed By School Board
August 16, 2008
The Escambia School Board is changing its mind on the their new middle school walk zone policy, and they are going back to the old policy.
The school board voted recently to make students within two miles of a middle school walk to school; the previous walk zone was one and a half miles. But at a Friday workshop, the board decided to reverse that decision and return to the one and a half mile limit. Outside of the walk zone, students get to take a bus. But within the mile and a half, they get to walk.
“It is important to note that restoring this standard will take several weeks to accomplish from an operational standpoint; the projected date for reinstatement of the 1.5-mile limit is September 8. Until that time, the bus routes currently in existence under the two mile limit for middle schools will be in place,” the school district said in a prepared statement.
An emergency board rule will be presented for the offical vote at Tuesday night’s regular school boad meeting.
The school district had said the increased walk zone would have saved taxpayers about a half million dollars per year.
Pictured above: Ernest Ward Middle School as seen from the intersection of Highway 99 and Highway 97. Students within a mile and a half of Ernest Ward will have to walk to school this year, a change from a two mile walk zone that had been imposed by the school board. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Comments
5 Responses to “Middle School ‘Walk Zone’ Changed By School Board”
Bottom line: It wouldn’t happen if this school was districted in Pensacola.
I don’t often go to Walnut Hill, but I’m sure that appropriate speed zones are in place throughout the entire 2-mile radius of the school, right? And I’m sure that even lower speed limits are in place for when the children are walking to and from school, right? Furthermore, since this is such a large area, surely there are multiple police officers enforcing the speed limit within the entirety of the whole 2 mile walk zone, right? I would feel assured if there were, say perhaps, five to seven squad cars policing the area.
For some reason, I’m thinking that none of these precautions have been taken.
What’s the price of a life? Apparently it’s around half a million dollars per year.
The school board should reconsider this because it doesn’t take anymore fuel to stop 1 mile from the school than if you were 20 miles from it. The overcrowding is coming from the city of Atmore coming whenever they have poor performing schools and the northend of Escambia county is footing the bill.
Another way to cut money is to stop transporting Alabama children to and from school. They need to be more concerned about Escambia, Florida Children first.
I live on 97 and wouldn’t let my child walk to school. What do you do if it rains? How many wrecks happen on 97? They have no clue of how dangerous this is. It doesn’t cost anymore money when the bus is going to the school and passes by the houses for them to stop. I can tell you where to cut money, downtown, they don’t need all these Assistants under the Super Attendant. The Super Attendant should be able to handle his duties on his on. This doesn’t concern my child, but it really bothers me to know that children have to walk to school on 97. What will it take to stop this, someone getting kid napped or killed while walking to school before something is done?
If this new rule affected my child, she would become a homeschooler!! I would never let her walk that far. What are they thinking??