Walking to school should be eliminated
March 4, 2016
Dear Editor,
The whole concept of students having to walk to school should be eliminated. It doesn’t matter how close a student lives to the school, the cold weather makes it very easy for students to get sick and miss school as well as the risk of getting hit by cars. Most buses pass the students houses and/or bus stop on the way to school anyway and they wouldn’t even need to change their route. Therefore there would be noAi??need to waste any gas.
Students that walk to school are not always provided with sidewalks, which is a reason for buses to pick them up as it is. They leave their homes when it is still dark out which makes it harder for drivers to see them. Even if they do have sidewalks, accidents are still bound to happen.
During the winter most of the 2 hour delays we get are because of the buses not being able to go to the higher areas of Stroudsburg, and the risk of black ice. But when it’s cold out, nobody’s first thought is not ai???Let’s give a 2 hour delay so the students that walk can be a little warmer.ai??? When they do go out and walk to school with temperatures being below freezing they have a higher chance of catching a cold. When this happens they miss school and get held back on their education. Some students live so close to the school that the buses will not pick them up. Since the buses are on a route to the school and pass the student’s stop, they should still offer them a ride.
Administration and transportation need to get together and talk about how they can make the roads safer for those of us that are walking to school. As of right now students are not seen by drivers, which can lead to many things including death and they risk missing school if they get sick from the below freezing temperatures.
Melodi Cakir
Senior
Taylor Flanagan • Apr 22, 2016 at 6:13 PM
I don’t know that anyone’s arguing to completely remove the option to walk to and from school; it seems that Ms. Cakir is simply saying that a bus should be provided should the student choose to take the bus on any particular day. As someone who does walk on occasion (when not able to find a ride with someone else), I would really appreciate the ability to take a bus on rainy or cold days, or simply on days when I’m too worn out to walk a mile while carrying 3 textbooks. On a bright, sunny spring afternoon in the mid 60’s, I could see laziness being an issue, or safety not of too much concern. But on mornings when the sun hasn’t even risen yet, safety does come into play, and in the rain and snow walking is more than an inconvenience. Giving students the choice would benefit pretty much everybody, as I cannot think of a downside.
Amanda Graff • Apr 22, 2016 at 8:21 AM
I agree that nobody should be forced to walk in the winter for the reasons stated. I have friends who have to walk from as far as past ShopRite when it’s like eleven degrees out. However, it should not be banned as an option. I also have friends who love to walk and not have to worry about catching the bus. It should be an option, not a requirement.
Bethany motes • Apr 15, 2016 at 9:38 AM
To the issues on banning kids from walking to school, I am not for it. I think that we have the right to walk if we want to. Yes I am aware that it is really cold in the winter, but for the kids walking they should know how to dress for the weather and not for their boyfriend or girlfriend. So if they get sick it is on them not the school. Another reason I am against this is because if you are walking to school or if you are at your bus stop you can get hit by a car. So no matter where you are you still have a posiblity of getting hit. So if you are walking you need to watch out for your surroundings and not at your phone. The third reason I am against taking walking to school away is because some people live really close to the school. If they can not walk to school then that would have to ride the bus. Some buses have to go really far from the school and that means the people that live close would have to go for that long ride. So instead of it taking them 5 minutes to get to school it is going to take them a half of an hour to a hour. For these reasons I believe that walking to school should not be banned but be aloud.
Thank you for listening to what I have to say on this issue.
John Puskar • Apr 13, 2016 at 11:05 AM
Many students everywhere live within a mile of the school they attend. I think that eliminating the option to walk to school is a pathetic view on such a small distance to travel on foot. Obesity in children is becoming alarmingly constant in today’s society, so why remove such a common form of exercise in an everyday schedule? I think it all boils down to laziness and a lack of common sense in the average high school student. The issue the author focuses on is potential injury during the winter season. If a high school student is not responsible enough to avoid accident and injury within a mile walk, how can one expect this individual to perform well on their own in an actual society with real responsibilities?
Sierra Grant • Apr 13, 2016 at 10:42 AM
There are many students that live within a mile of the school; without a car that are forced to walk everyday. When it is pouring rain or freezing cold students should not be forced to walk. As the letter stated the busses pass the kids walking in their route; stopping to pick up some kids won’t waste any gas. Another reason that there should be busses for all kids as stated in the letter is that there are no two hour delays considered for the walkers when the temperature is below freezing this can cause children to get sick. There should be busses for all students no matter where they live.
Theodore Mostellar • Apr 13, 2016 at 10:27 AM
A student’s ability to walk to school should not be taken away. According to Melodi Cakir, students risk getting sick and missing school when they walk to school in the cold. This argument is invalid; it only pertains to the winter months. I find it hard to believe that with how many students drive themselves to school that it would be impossible for someone accustomed to walking to arrange a car pool. Cakir also states that it is unsafe for students to walk due to the risk of getting into accidents with cars. However it would be an interesting statistic to know the amount of school bus related incidents compared to the amount of students hit while walking. From personal experience it feels that there are many more bus accidents heard about on local news than students being ran over. So in the end, the letter wasn’t backed with enough facts and was based on speculation.