Waiting for the bus

By SANDY LONG

BARRYVILLE, NY — For some children, going to school is seen as something unavoidable. For five-year-old Madison Votee of Barryville, who would very much like to go, it’s currently not an option.

Since school started on September 3, Madison has remained at home because she can’t make it to the morning bus stop and the bus no longer stops where it used to.

Earlier this year, the Eldred Central School (ECS) District’s Board of Education reviewed its transportation policies and concluded that its school busses would no longer be permitted to complete turnarounds on private property, but only on roadways maintained by local or state authorities, according to ECS superintendent Berneice Brownell. The change in policy was based on the advice of the district’s transportation specialist Melissa Muller. “We take her recommendations and they’re developed into policies and procedures,” said Brownell.

Madison, whose mother resides at the Jeffersonville Adult Home, is cared for by her grandparents, Joe Zegel and Lisa Rider. Zegel’s construction job puts him on the road before the bus arrives. Rider, who was severely injured in an automobile accident 12 years ago, is beset with disabilities that prohibit her from driving or working. Trauma to her brain has left her with vision, balance and equilibrium problems that limit her ability to walk. “I see three of everything,” Rider said.

The couple has approached the board twice already, but a certified letter sent by Brownell and received by the couple on September 19, specifies that “the current bus stop location will remain in effect.” If the couple wishes to pursue the matter further, they are advised to submit a request in writing to the board to be addressed at its next regularly scheduled meeting on October 9.

Even then, there’s no guarantee that the situation will be resolved. “We’re following our policy,” said Brownell. “I don’t have any way of changing that unless I’m directed to by the board.”

Room for compromise?

Two doors down, Rider’s neighbors, Christine and Larry Frey, said the district is welcome to continue using their driveway, as it has for roughly eight years, to turn around after picking up their children. With two businesses based at the property, the driveway is kept clear throughout the year. At the ECS board meeting on September 11, Christine urged the board to reconsider its policy and look for a way to resolve the situation.

Rider said she can walk her granddaughter to her neighbor’s driveway, but can not manage the nearly one-mile walk to the new bus stop.

Frustrated with the seeming impasse, and the passing days that Madison misses school, the couple has contacted an attorney. “It’s a shame to have to spend money to fight this. I still have to pay my school taxes,” said Zegel. “Where’s their compassion?”

“The child can attend classes,” said Brownell. “The school is not stopping her from attending classes.”

For now, Madison has asked if she can go back to the Head Start program, where she got her first taste of classroom learning, and liked what she experienced there. Unless the ECS Board of Education decides to schedule a special meeting before its next regularly scheduled meeting to address the matter, it’s likely Madison will still be waiting for the bus.