Haun Parents Wait for an Answer on Buses
by Jeff Taylor, Haun parent
Mr. Taylor's letter was sent as dated below. As of 10 September, he has received no response.
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Ms.Pavey c/o Bettye Haun
4500 Quincy Ln
Plano, TX 75024
August 25, 1997
Dear Ms. Pavey
The third week of school is now complete and there is no apparent change in the busing situation at Bettye Haun. I represent a group of area parents who want to open the discussion channels with yourself and the administration on this issue. Our frustration and concerns lie mostly in the fairness of the decision making process and the methods used to allocate bus transportation to neighborhoods. The state provides the school district with an open ended criterion of determining hazardous areas. This "standard" unfortunately allows for a lot of subjective interpretation on the part of the decision maker(s) and leaves them open to being persuaded or misinformed by individuals not directly a part of the process.
Currently the only bus route for Bettye Haun covers the neighborhood in the Northeast sector of the district and a small section of Foxtail Dr.. It is our understanding this was based on the fact there are no sidewalks on the North side of Quincy Ln or in the Foxtail area and for no other reason. The validity of these areas being hazardous or not is not the question. What is being questioned is, if those areas are indeed determined to be hazardous, why not other neighborhoods with identical or very similar conditions.?
Did someone from PISD conduct a thorough examination of the entire Bettye Haun district? The current situation suggests not. If there had been, we feel strongly the correct and proper action would have been either no busing at all or more areas than those currently designated should be receiving busing. However, the decision has been made and a precedent has now been set. Below are outlined the inconsistencies in the decision as we perceive it and other safety issues we feel are relevant. We are interested in yours and PISD's feedback on each of these points:
- There currently is no sidewalk on the south side of Quincy west of Betty Haun from Family Farm Dr. almost up to the school, why is this not considered hazardous like the eastern portion of Quincy?
- Throughout Deerfield and in particular the areas to the south, southwest and west adjacent to Bettye Haun there are several stretches of streets with no sidewalks. What makes these neighborhoods different from the Foxtail area?
- Why cannot the children along the current bus route cross Quincy to the side with the sidewalk eliminating the need for any buses at all? As it stands today, children have to cross Preston Meadow without the benefit of a crossing guard. Obviously there are also children crossing Quincy at the west end by Family Farm in order to get to a sidewalk.
- The side of Quincy Ln with the sidewalk requires the children to cross 10 thoroughfares, 5 of which are blind alleys! This is an area of great concern and very dangerous as vehicles coming out of these alleys cannot see the pedestrians because of the high, brick walls. This is a neighborhood where new homes are still being built and with that comes ongoing construction traffic, especially at 7:30 am!
- The homes on Sunflower Ln and Foxtail east of the Foxtail area with the added bus stops were not included as part of the effected area. These children's' most direct and likely walking route takes them right through this area currently considered hazardous. Are these children expected to go out of their way to walk on sidewalks but the children in the northeast sector of the school's district aren't?
- All the children in Fairfax Meadows and Bedford Estates do not have a direct walking route to Bettye Haun as they are bounded by the TU utility easement on their west. There are no connecting streets into the neighborhoods on the North. More than likely these children are being forced to walk out to Coit or Legacy and then backtrack.
- For those children having to walk along Coit, Legacy, Quincy, and Preston Meadow there are no McGruff houses for their use should they need emergency help. What are the school and the district doing to address this?
- Once the sidewalks have been installed in the Foxtail area and if a crossing guard can be placed at Quincy and Preston Meadow will the bus service be discontinued?
- There is a sign requesting a crossing guard at Ohio and Quincy, why is there not also one at Quincy and Preston Meadow, an intersection you specifically mentioned at the parents 3rd grade openhouse?
Obviously, based on the above examples, there was absolutely no data collected or scrutiny applied by the school or the district as to what hazardous areas existed and which ones truly required busing if any. Does PISD not have the time or the money to invest in assuring our children's safety? A single individual in a matter of a few hours collected all of the above data. We are confident amongst the districts many resources someone could have spent 3-4 hours one day surveying the area and analyzing it for hazardous areas. These results could then have been shared long before the school year began with all the Bettye Haun families seeking their feedback. Only then would someone have all the information necessary to make a fair and impartial decision rather than what appears to be a misdirected, poorly thought out and prejudicial one.
We all hope this issue can be resolved quickly and amicably so we all can get on with the business of educating and raising our children. All it is going to take is a little effort and communication by the district and hopefully before the fact rather than after.
Sincerely,
The Parents of Children attending Bettye Haun
Cc: Ms Sandra Merideth
Mr. Jim Damm
Mr. Keith Stockwell
Ms. Rose Ann Dukes
Mr. Mike Evans
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