This school year hasn’t even begun yet and parents are buzzing on social media about the new Leon County bus system. And like an angry hornets nest their conversations are vibrating throughout many of our social media groups.
We have also recently heard from many concerned parents about the new bus routes. The most prominent concern: safety.
Concerns At The Bus Stop
Our parents are discussing the safety of our kids waiting on busy roads for their buses, crossing busy roads to reach the bus stops, and the times in which kids are supposed to be waiting for the buses.
One parent referenced the 2019 Bus Fiasco in which the bus routes were changed and many students did not have a bus to transport them to school. Many parents are echoing this same fear about students whose parents or grandparents have not registered them. Some families don’t have reliable access to the internet, are not tech educated, or simply are unaware they need to register.
Many other parents are mentioning the distance (a mile or in some cases more) their student is having to walk. They are voicing concerns about it being dark in the mornings. Elementary students are our youngest student population and also our smallest. Early morning drivers are driving in the dark winter hours. All our students are at risk walking in the dark but this population is at a higher risk.
All these comments prompted us to look at the district’s new bus route online.
The Online Platform
Through this site you can navigate all the routes. As we were scrolling we noted several major safety concerns that confirmed what our parents were saying. Above is a compilation of the Bus Routes from the site on August 6th, 2025. Many stops are located on busy roads. While we understand that some roads are not school bus friendly there are still many neighborhoods which are and the stops have still been moved to the main roads. This also raises concerns about families with students that require extra support. If bus stops are a mile or greater, are they still able to navigate a neighborhood to the bus stop? If a student is easily scared of traffic will this hinder their ability to wait calmly for a bus on a busy road during morning traffic?
Some of our parents have expressed exhaustion with the district and the bus routes. A couple of comments from parents stated that this was a yearly ordeal and that bus routes should not be this complicated. Other parents expressed concern that reaching out to the district could lead to retaliation.
We reached out to the district to bring this to their attention as well as other safety concerns we noted. We have so far only received a response back from Laurie Cox:
“Thank you for writing! These are valid concerns! Have a great day!”
Our students shouldn’t be walking over a mile in the dark. They shouldn’t be crossing busy roads or standing on busy roads waiting in the dark.
Safety Tips
One neighbor recently stated “They never respond so I don’t see the point” more often than not, this sentiment is accurate. While we can’t control if they listen to our neighbors concerns, we know that we are louder and safer together. Even if you don’t have a student in school, your voice can help protect our students. Reach out to all your elected officials and tell them you want safe Bus routes.
Link to our contact sheet for local officials.
Our safety tips for getting to school:
- If Possible have an adult walk with young children (we know this isn’t always possible for every family)
- Wear reflective bracelets, vest, tape on backpacks etc to increase visibility
- Find a bus stop buddy, if there are other students in your neighborhood riding the bus make friends and walk together.
- Talk to students about standing safely on the sidewalks and the dangers of stepping onto the road/rough play on busy roads.
- Talk to students about looking both ways before crossing a road and if possible make eye contact with the driver to confirm they see you.
- Remind students about “tricky people” (we encourage the term tricky or sneaky because some strangers don’t always feel like strangers)
- If students are walking alone have them notify a parent or grandparent when they arrive at school or home
- When walking home on hot days, remind your student to drink plenty of water and if they get too hot to find some shade to rest in. On cold days, dress appropriately and wear layers that can be removed easily and carried easily.
We are better and safer together, keep the conversation going.
