Wake County parents concerned over children's long bus ride
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The first day of year-round school in Wake County meant a bus ride of more than an hour for twin girls in one Raleigh family.
Their parents said it wasn't that long last year, and they're not happy that they haven't heard from the Wake County Public Schools Transportation Department.
However, they have heard from the vice chairman of the school board who said the long ride can't be helped.
"Wake County has given parents options and they've given us opportunities to pick different places for our kids. And we've done that", Tracey McCartney told ABC11.
This year, the new bus route means the 12 mile ride from the McCartney's north Raleigh home to Durant Middle School is well over an hour.
The McCartneys said it's an hour-and-a-half. School officials said it's an hour-and-fifteen minutes, which is outside school system guidelines for a ride no more than an hour.
There is, however, an exception -- one it appears the McCartneys are in -- schools of choice far from the student's home.
"But we shouldn't be penalized because we happened to choose a year-round school and we happen to live far away. They kind of created this," McCartney said. "They created people being shipped all over the county. The county's too big and this kind of one of those results of this craziness, the decision making that they're doing."
School officials said the only way to shorten the ride for some "choice" students who live a long way from the school they choose is to have more buses pick up fewer students.
They add that wouldn't be a wise expenditure of state and local tax dollars.
The McCartneys said they will continue to fight for a shorter bus ride for their daughters.
