District grants bus service to students to avoid unsafe road

MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. — Brevard Public Schools officials will allow a group of elementary students here to ride a bus to their school — even though they live less than two miles away from it — so that they will not have to walk on a dangerous stretch of road.

The temporary exception to the state policy, which states that students who live less than two miles from school must find their own transportation, could trigger similar requests from parents at other schools, Florida Today reports. The school board has the authority to allow students to ride a bus if the walking route is considered unsafe.

Moreover, the district has assembled a four-person committee to review seven bus stops in the district that are within two miles of a school.

"They were created for a variety of reasons over the years, but it's time to review everything and set some standards in place," Judy Preston, associate superintendent of financial services, told the news source.

Recommendations about the eligibility of riders using these stops will be made in September.

The district is reimbursed by the state for about 60 percent of the cost to transport students who ride buses over the two-mile limit. However, the district receives no money for students using stops that are less than two miles from school.