HOBE SOUND, Fla. — A Martin County mother says her young son's route to school is too dangerous to walk, but under state policy, he's not eligible to ride the school bus.
WATCH BELOW: 'I’ve tried for years to get him on the bus,' Kayla Frank tells WPTV
Kayla Frank lives 1.9 miles from Hobe Sound Elementary, which places her 8-year-old son outside the boundary required for school transportation services.
“I’ve tried for years to get him on the bus,” said Frank. “They pick-up 500 feet away, drive past our house, but we are denied every time, because we live less than 2 miles away.”
Her son's route includes traveling along the shoulder of their neighborhood road, crossing six lanes of traffic on U.S. 1, and navigating over train tracks. She believes the route is especially risky during peak traffic times.
“Especially in the mornings, school traffic, people aren’t stopping for the bus stops as it is, everybody’s on their phone—you know he’s a little 8-year-old boy," she said. "He’s not paying attention to where he’s going.”
There are crossing guards near the school, including at the entrance to Hobe Sound Elementary to assist students crossing Gomez Avenue and at Gomez Avenue and Bridge Road to help children cross Bridge Road. Nonetheless, Frank says there are more hazardous parts of the walk that remain a concern.
Our Cassandra Garcia took her concerns to the Martin County School District. They said Florida state law outlines what makes a child eligible for transportation if they live less than two miles from school.
“Railroad tracks are not considered a hazardous walking condition and even major intersections like U.S. 1 and Bridge Road—those are not deemed hazardous walking conditions, because they have traffic signals,” said Derek Lowe, coordinator of public information for the Martin County School District.
While the district acknowledged her concern, officials said there’s little they can do under the current statute.
“We empathize with those parents. We understand that that may not be the ideal situation,” Lowe said. “But unfortunately that’s how the state statute is written.”
Read the Florida Department of Education's "Hazardous Walking Site Review Checklist" below:
Instead, the district recommends that parents take advantage of early drop-off and late pick-up options, available 30 minutes before and after school, or consider coordinating carpool rides with other families.
As the school year continues, Frank is left hoping that exceptions can be considered, not just for her son, but for any child facing a potentially dangerous commute.
“Have you ever allowed him to just do it on his own?” asked Garcia.
“No. No. I don’t even think he would make it [in this heat],” Frank responded.
