Will/did your kindergartener take the school bus?

[Anonymous]

We drive or walk. I have a K and 2nd grader.

Reason. Bus comes at 8:19am. School is only 0.7 miles away through the neighborhood. School does not start until 9am. My kids routinely sleep until 8am. We depart at 8:45am. Gives us a more relaxed morning to walk or drive. I only go through neighborhood roads that are unclogged/empty.

I pick-up in afternoons because a lot of time they want to hang out on playground with friends if we don't have sports' practices or games after...or they do an enrichment which I have to pick them up anyway.

We've talked about the bus and may use it in the future. For now-this works well for us.

I WAH so it is easy for me to get them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't clog the roads in front of the school. I walk my kids to school and the worst drivers are the parents dropping off their kids; they're in a hurry so the hell with the rest of us!!

My kids would LOVE to take the bus. It's part of growing up.

This, this, a thousand times this!

The kiss and ride situation at our school is beyond ridiculous. The school does the best they can to manage it, but we have over 1000 kids (it's an AAP center) and people insist on driving even though they have been asked repeatedly to use the busses. I get that there are some extenuating circumstances, but the roads in our neighborhood cannot handle the traffic and we have been nearly run over ON SCHOOL PROPERTY more times than I can count by people completely ignoring a crosswalk and a teacher holding a stop sign. We just recently were granted a new police crossing guard at a crosswalk that had become a second kiss and ride just off of official school property, but there is still a problem at the intersection on our street we must cross right before hitting school property as the idiot kiss and ride drivers who are not allowed to make left turns into the school use that road to make u-turns.

We specifically looked for a house where we could walk to at least the elementary school. We moved in just 5 days before our daughter started K. She was upset when the first day came and she didn't get to ride the bus. Seriously, kid? She gets her bus riding fix on field trips and the girl scout camps she attended in the past couple years. I will probably have to continue to walk her for a couple more years just because of that one stupid intersection that I absolutely fear for her safety in.

[Anonymous]

We drive in the morning. My child can sleep in longer or have a more relaxed morning. The school is not far from home but she'd have to get on the bus 45 min. before the bell. That's ridiculous. I make there in about 10. Sorry if some of you don't like it. But, that's the way it's going to be.

She takes the bus home only b/c I'm not around to get her from school (due to work).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We drive or walk. I have a K and 2nd grader.

Reason. Bus comes at 8:19am. School is only 0.7 miles away through the neighborhood. School does not start until 9am. My kids routinely sleep until 8am. We depart at 8:45am. Gives us a more relaxed morning to walk or drive. I only go through neighborhood roads that are unclogged/empty.

I pick-up in afternoons because a lot of time they want to hang out on playground with friends if we don't have sports' practices or games after...or they do an enrichment which I have to pick them up anyway.

We've talked about the bus and may use it in the future. For now-this works well for us.

I WAH so it is easy for me to get them.

What school district gives you a bus if you are only 0.7 miles away. I'm the process of appealing with my school district because I WANT a bus and we are right on the distance border (0.8 miles.)

[Anonymous]

In our experience, we get a bus even though we are less than .25 miles from school because we need to cross a very busy 4 lane road to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, our bus comes a half an hour earlier than when we would need to leave when driving. We can actually leave to walk about 15 minutes after the bus arrives and make it in time. We are the closest stop to the school and it picks up at our stop first and then heads away from school. Since we have flexibility in the AM, we drive.

Same here. 5 minutes by car, 45 by bus...

to the OP, it matters a lot how the routing is. The busses are fine but sometimes they convolute the route so bad it fails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Never wanted my kids to deal with the social scene on the bus. We drop off on our way to work. No biggie.

Can you elaborate. I have no idea what this means for a bus full with elementary school kids.

Not the PP but buses can be a hellish place

The 5th graders beat up my K. WTF?

Holy shit?! What happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi Op, I completely understand your question. I was in the same place last year. Finally I decided to let my DD to take the bus, mainly because I wanted her to have that social experience and because she also has younger siblings, who I did not want to have to take along for the ride. I was very nervous in the first few days, but it has been fine. DD loves riding the bus with her friends in the morning now. The buses have patrols and the school has all staff members on deck in the first days to ensure every child gets to where they need to be. Just let her take the bus. She will enjoy it and it will be much easier for you.

Odd question. On first day, how did you know DC got to school? I realize it's very likely he will not have a problem, but it is a worry....

[Anonymous]

I know longer have kids in school. However, our local school is an AAP center. Our Kiss and Ride has exploded over the last few years with the rise of the number of AAP students. It is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi Op, I completely understand your question. I was in the same place last year. Finally I decided to let my DD to take the bus, mainly because I wanted her to have that social experience and because she also has younger siblings, who I did not want to have to take along for the ride. I was very nervous in the first few days, but it has been fine. DD loves riding the bus with her friends in the morning now. The buses have patrols and the school has all staff members on deck in the first days to ensure every child gets to where they need to be. Just let her take the bus. She will enjoy it and it will be much easier for you.

Odd question. On first day, how did you know DC got to school? I realize it's very likely he will not have a problem, but it is a worry....

Hello? They take attendance and call home if a child isn't there and they don't have a call / note from a parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We drive or walk. I have a K and 2nd grader.

Reason. Bus comes at 8:19am. School is only 0.7 miles away through the neighborhood. School does not start until 9am. My kids routinely sleep until 8am. We depart at 8:45am. Gives us a more relaxed morning to walk or drive. I only go through neighborhood roads that are unclogged/empty.

I pick-up in afternoons because a lot of time they want to hang out on playground with friends if we don't have sports' practices or games after...or they do an enrichment which I have to pick them up anyway.

We've talked about the bus and may use it in the future. For now-this works well for us.

I WAH so it is easy for me to get them.

What school district gives you a bus if you are only 0.7 miles away. I'm the process of appealing with my school district because I WANT a bus and we are right on the distance border (0.8 miles.)

FCPS does. It's not just about the distance from the school. It's about the roads that have to be crossed. Students at my school live in an apartment complex that is a 10 minute walk from school. Yes, 10 minutes. But that walk is along a very busy road and crosses in front of a shopping plaza. As kids walk along that busy road, they would cross side streets where there are no crosswalk markings or lights. Putting 150 kids on that walk during morning rush hour would be a death march.

[Anonymous]

We split the bus / driving b/c it's a 4 1/2 mile drive to school and the bus comes about 50 minutes before school starts. Wen can leave 20 minutes b/4 and get there in time -- and it's on my way to work. Kiss and Ride isn't too bad at DC's school. The extra 30 min are more for me than DC - we drive to the bus stop anyway b/c it's about .6 of a mile from our house and I don't want to walk there / back in my work clothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Hi Op, I completely understand your question. I was in the same place last year. Finally I decided to let my DD to take the bus, mainly because I wanted her to have that social experience and because she also has younger siblings, who I did not want to have to take along for the ride. I was very nervous in the first few days, but it has been fine. DD loves riding the bus with her friends in the morning now. The buses have patrols and the school has all staff members on deck in the first days to ensure every child gets to where they need to be. Just let her take the bus. She will enjoy it and it will be much easier for you.

Odd question. On first day, how did you know DC got to school? I realize it's very likely he will not have a problem, but it is a worry....

Hello? They take attendance and call home if a child isn't there and they don't have a call / note from a parent.

Snark was unnecessary. To the op: Bus driver will not let your child off the bus until they get to school. There they will be met by school personnel and there will be plenty of people to help your child find his class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Hi Op, I completely understand your question. I was in the same place last year. Finally I decided to let my DD to take the bus, mainly because I wanted her to have that social experience and because she also has younger siblings, who I did not want to have to take along for the ride. I was very nervous in the first few days, but it has been fine. DD loves riding the bus with her friends in the morning now. The buses have patrols and the school has all staff members on deck in the first days to ensure every child gets to where they need to be. Just let her take the bus. She will enjoy it and it will be much easier for you.

Odd question. On first day, how did you know DC got to school? I realize it's very likely he will not have a problem, but it is a worry....

Hello? They take attendance and call home if a child isn't there and they don't have a call / note from a parent.

Snark was unnecessary. To the op: Bus driver will not let your child off the bus until they get to school. There they will be met by school personnel and there will be plenty of people to help your child find his class.

It's a school bus--it's only going one place. You actually worry that your kid wouldn't make it to school? Find other things to worry about and stop helicoptering.

[Anonymous]

It's a school bus--it's only going one place. You actually worry that your kid wouldn't make it to school? Find other things to worry about and stop helicoptering.

My oldest is way out of college. I still remember my worry and concern. Give the poster a break. She needs reassurance--not snark.