MOOSE JAW — Sunningdale School’s school community council (SCC) is concerned with recent changes to busing criteria in Prairie South School Division and wants trustees to reconsider their decision.
Seven parents attended the board’s recent June meeting, with SCC chairwoman Genelle Payant presenting the group’s concerns about board policy 17.
Trustees updated the transportation-focused document in May, with the main changes focusing on busing students who live outside a 500-metre radius of a school — compared to the previous radius of 200 metres — or who encounter “hazardous areas” such as railway crossings along walking routes to school.
“We’re not here to point fingers or to blame. We want to collaborate with you on what we can do differently,” Payant said.
The SCC chairwoman discussed how Prairie South determined the walking radii to schools, noting it drew circles around the buildings to determine the distances. In comparison, Calgary school divisions use an advanced software program to measure distances from the edge of properties to schools while incorporating established walking routes.
If PSSD planned to emulate Calgary, it should use the software since that “changes the picture,” Payant said. Meanwhile, she noted that Cowtown has more than 400 pedestrian overpasses and walkways for safety, which Moose Jaw lacks.
Safety is the biggest concern the SCC has with the policy changes, considering Ninth Avenue Northwest is a dangerous traffic route that students must cross, she continued.
The SCC wanted to know why PSSD did not consider that road a crossing hazard, the SCC chairwoman stated. It also wanted to understand the criteria the transportation committee uses to determine whether a route is safe since the policy lacked that information.
Payant pointed out that Calgary does a better job of maintaining its walkways in the winter than Moose Jaw does. Moreover, the winter temperatures in the Foothills are milder than in The Friendly City, while the roads are more dangerous here since it’s darker in the winter.
Continuing, she said that while Ninth Avenue Northwest is 50 kilometres per hour coming off Highway 1, from the 50 km/h sign, it takes motorists just eight seconds to reach the crosswalk connecting West Park to Sunningdale.
“… think about if you’re transporting dangerous goods in a truck. Trucks don’t stop on a dime,” Payant continued, noting that children’s development makes them vulnerable pedestrians since they don’t always pay attention.
These policy changes will affect 37 families and will make an already congested school drop-off zone even worse, Payant said. Children crossing dangerous truck routes may also expose Prairie South to legal liabilities considering a kindergarten girl received $12 million in damages in 2004 after a car hit her while walking to school.
“Prioritizing our kids’ safety must outweigh all other plans,” the SCC chairwoman stated, including ongoing attendance campaigns.
The SCC believes the board made these changes without consulting the affected families, she said. This goes against the organization’s strategic plan, which says trustees aim to listen to the needs of parents and students.
Continuing, Payant said the board should delay the changes for a year — three-and-a-half months was insufficient — so families could prepare; some families purchase homes that are close to schools and busing. The board should also determine the actual walking distances like Calgary does.
Moreover, the division could create a “buddy system” where older students walk with younger students, while it could encourage city hall to enhance winter maintenance of pathways, she added.
Trustee Lew Young said this was “déjà vu” since he is a Sunningdale resident and parent who dealt with transportation issues 35 years ago. Meanwhile, he said the SCC’s presentation was “what democracy is all about” since the board made a decision and the group presented ideas that trustees could think about.
Ryan Boughen, director of education, said Prairie South is not using Calgary’s distance model, but only used that city for comparison’s sake. Instead, PSSD has been using a one-kilometre distance from schools since amalgamation in 2006.
MooseJawToday.com will have a separate story with the board’s discussion about board policy 17.
