PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Some Palm Beach County parents said Wednesday they're uneasy because of where school buses are picking their children up at.
"As a parent myself, I have two children who attend elementary school and I want not a tragedy to happen again," said parent Florencia Guillenea.
Guillenea, like many other parents, are worried about bus stop safety and aren’t happy of where some bus stops are located.
One that she mentioned is located near the intersection of South Congress Avenue and Lake Cascade Boulevard, west of Lantana.
"There’s a public bus stop outside of the community that in the morning is used as a school bus stop," Guillenea said. "My concern is a car losing control or someone texting. You know a lot of people text or just even sneezing in the car. The kids are so close to the road that it is an accident waiting to happen."
"They’re just standing in the grass or next to a road," said parent Lucky Aguirre, who has a daughter in the School District of Palm Beach County.
Aguirre said she feels more comfortable driving her daughter to and from school.
"She's been dying to go. Oh, I want to get on the bus or I want to be a walker. No! For me, I haven't allowed her because I cannot. I’m concerned about her," Aguirre said.
WPTV reached out to the School District of Palm Beach County to find out if bus stops in the county are being reevaluated as a result of the March 22 crash in Royal Palm Beach that killed two teenagers.
The district sent a statement WPTV this statement:
"Bus stops are generally located within 1-1/2 miles of students' homes and 1-1/2 miles apart from each other.
Bus stops are also selected to avoid obvious dangers such as bodies of water and to avoid requiring students to cross roads that have speed limits over 35 mph. There are some exceptions for bus stops for choice schools as parents are responsible for getting their students safely to these choice school bus stops."
Parents feel more can be done to keep students safe at bus stops.
"Maybe more signs, maybe better placements of these bus stops. Some parents drop their kids off and they head to work, and they don’t find out if anything happens until after a tragedy strikes," Guillenea said.
Any parent, guardian, or student who would like to discuss a safety concern or address any transportation-related matters within the School District of Palm Beach County can do so by clicking here.
