Down a winding road with a turn down a steep hill, a hard right, a climb up an elevation, over a crosswalk and up 70 lengthy steps — totaling to about three-quarters of a mile. What might seem to be a course for a road race was Geoff Davis’ 6-year-old daughter’s daily walk to school.
“I don’t think it’s safe, but (the school) said it was safe, so she’s going to be a walker,” Davis said.
Davis eventually took his concerns to a school board meeting.
His child’s route to school has since changed.
On Nov. 20, West Jefferson Hills School District sent a letter to families with student-walkers within the district saying those who received the message would have their walking routes converted into bus routes.
Multiple students who attend McClellan Elementary School in the district walked to school without being given the option of riding a school bus. Their two options are to walk or be driven by a parent or guardian.
In Pennsylvania, school districts may ask kindergarten and elementary students to walk up to 1.5 miles on a public road to reach their school.
Patrick Harrigan, district communications coordinator, said that the administration received several concerns from residents regarding multiple walking routes.
“The district and its school board take the safety of our students very seriously. As enrollment grows and housing plans continue to be built, the district decided to have the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation review all routes that were questioned in an effort to be both proactive and responsive to our community members,” Harrigan said.
According to Pennsylvania Code 447, a student walking route should be considered hazardous if more than two pedestrian-related accidents occurred during the last three years while the pedestrians were walking along the student walking route during hours students are normally going to or from school; if the student must cross a roadway with no traffic lights or crossing guard; or if it is necessary for students to cross a railroad-highway grade crossing that has two or more tracks that trains use at the time students need to cross; if the crossing is not protected by a flashing light signal or a crossing guard and the speed of the trains and the available sight distance are such that students walking at a speed of 3.5 feet per second cannot safely cross the tracks.
Along with the safety of his child, Davis was also troubled by the fact that his parents or himself were required to pick her up from the school.
After seeing it for himself, Geoff’s father, Rick, also recognized the danger on the route.
“They shouldn’t have to find someone to meet their kid every day,” Rick said.
They were not the only ones who saw an issue with the current system of walking routes.
Maureen’s Pastorious grandson Bobby, 5, is also in kindergarten at McClellan. Although he lives across the street with his parents, she is responsible for walking him about a quarter mile to and from school every day.
When Pastorious’ children were growing up, they walked to the elementary school every day for five years. At the time, the students walked by themselves to school with no parents in sight.
Although Bobby enjoys walking to school, it takes about 45 minutes for his grandparents to walk back and forth.
At first, she went to the school board meeting to explain that requiring parents to walk the students every day was ridiculous because her children did it themselves for many years. Then, she realized there was another problem at hand.
One day, Pastorious said there was no crossing guard present at the crosswalk, and a car drove by at a fast speed.
“My husband and I, we continued to walk Bobby up every day, and as we did it I said, ‘This isn’t safe,’” she said.
Pastorious said that even though nothing may ever happen to the children, she thinks the new transportation-related change will be good.
“It only takes one incident,” Pastorious said.
The district’s goal is to have the bus route changes in effect for the first day after the holiday break, Jan. 6, 2025, according to district superintendent Janet Sardon.