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News
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Butler calls on minister to address school busing problem September 8, 2006 |
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Roland Butler, Opposition Critic for Education and MHA for the District of
Port De Grave, is calling on Education Minister Joan Burke to address the
school busing problem facing many students and parents who live within the
1.6 kilometre policy. Butler says that while he agrees with statements made by Minister Burke that the policy of not providing bus service to students who live within 1.6 kilometres of their school has not changed, the Eastern School District is now enforcing this policy for the first time. Up until now, the policy was not enforced and students were permitted to use the bus if space was available. Unfortunately, the school board has cut the number of buses in service which has eliminated space that was previously available. "I am very disappointed that Minister Burke has sat back and allowed this decision to be made," said Mr. Butler. "Many of the students and parents who used the bus service every year now find themselves without arrangements to transport their children to school. What is even more disturbing is that this decision was made in June and hidden from parents until now. This should have been publicized immediately so alternative arrangements could have been made over the summer. "While in Opposition, several Tory MHAs approached the previous government to ensure all students could ride the bus, and even suggested reducing the policy to 1 kilometre. The decision was made to allow all students to use this service when space was available. This option has now been removed completely and the silence of government MHAs is deafening. "I have received numerous calls from my own disrict and communities throughout the province. In Whitbourne, I have been advised that 45 students will no longer be transported to school by bus. Other students in various communities have to walk across the main highway to reach their school. I have even spoken to a woman who babysits two children, and while the school bus will transport them to and from her house because they live further up the road, her own children are not allowed to use the bus. There is something fundamentally wrong with this decision and it should be revisited by the minister immediately. "This current policy decision is another example of this government’s lack of compassion for the needs of the people of this province. It once again appears that Minister Burke is more concerned about saving a few dollars than protecting the safety of children. I, and the parents involved, believe this is disgraceful and should be fixed."
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