school bus distance discrimination?

[samlooker]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA
I was told since we live within 2 miles of the school (kindergarten), we need to pay for school bus service; those live outside of 2 miles will get it free.
It seems to me this is discrimination, even though I know there IS law regarding this. Would that law be illegal? My point is, I pay the same property tax as others; the same portion goes to the school (I presume). Why I don't get the same service? Wouldn't this be a big class action sue candidate?
Aside of this, it seems the 2 miles limit is just an arbitrarily #. Presumably they chose 2 miles because they think kids can walk 2 miles by themself. But my child is 5 years old, that can not walk pass the many high-traffic roads in between.
I know 80% people live outside of the 2-miles zone so there is no chance for me to get enough votes to convince the town to change it. Anything I can do, to make them treat me equal? No more, no less, but equally? Can I start a class action?

 

[Mass_Shyster]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA
I was told since we live within 2 miles of the school (kindergarten), we need to pay for school bus service; those live outside of 2 miles will get it free.
It seems to me this is discrimination, even though I know there IS law regarding this. Would that law be illegal? My point is, I pay the same property tax as others; the same portion goes to the school (I presume). Why I don't get the same service? Wouldn't this be a big class action sue candidate?
Aside of this, it seems the 2 miles limit is just an arbitrarily #. Presumably they chose 2 miles because they think kids can walk 2 miles by themself. But my child is 5 years old, that can not walk pass the many high-traffic roads in between.
I know 80% people live outside of the 2-miles zone so there is no chance for me to get enough votes to convince the town to change it. Anything I can do, to make them treat me equal? No more, no less, but equally? Can I start a class action?

It IS discrimination, but it is not ILLEGAL discrimination. People living within two miles of a school are not a protected class.

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA
I was told since we live within 2 miles of the school (kindergarten), we need to pay for school bus service; those live outside of 2 miles will get it free.
It seems to me this is discrimination, even though I know there IS law regarding this. Would that law be illegal? My point is, I pay the same property tax as others; the same portion goes to the school (I presume). Why I don't get the same service? Wouldn't this be a big class action sue candidate?
Aside of this, it seems the 2 miles limit is just an arbitrarily #. Presumably they chose 2 miles because they think kids can walk 2 miles by themself. But my child is 5 years old, that can not walk pass the many high-traffic roads in between.
I know 80% people live outside of the 2-miles zone so there is no chance for me to get enough votes to convince the town to change it. Anything I can do, to make them treat me equal? No more, no less, but equally? Can I start a class action?

There is an easy way to avoid paying for bus service...

Take the child yourself!

 

[tiggergirl9]

Just be glad you don't live in my school district...they will be eliminating busing entirely next year except for disabled students.

 

[cbg]

In the state where I grew up (which is not the state I live in now) there was at that time, and for all I know still may be, a law that a school district that bussed to public schools must also bus to private schools. My school district said, fine, then we won't bus to public schools. Once you reached 9th grade, how you got to school was up to you and your parents. So most days I walked the mile and a half to the high school. What's more, there was one year that to save energy, Daylight Savings Time went into effect in January, meaning that I was walking to school while it was still pitch dark.

There were days when, due to weather conditions, my mother kept me home from school while forcing my middle- and elementary-school aged siblings, who still got bus service, to go. That did not make for good family relations.

It could be worse.

 

[Zigner]

In the state where I grew up (which is not the state I live in now) there was at that time, and for all I know still may be, a law that a school district that bussed to public schools must also bus to private schools. My school district said, fine, then we won't bus to public schools. Once you reached 9th grade, how you got to school was up to you and your parents. So most days I walked the mile and a half to the high school. What's more, there was one year that to save energy, Daylight Savings Time went into effect in January, meaning that I was walking to school while it was still pitch dark.

There were days when, due to weather conditions, my mother kept me home from school while forcing my middle- and elementary-school aged siblings, who still got bus service, to go. That did not make for good family relations.

It could be worse.

We enjoyed walking the two miles to school...we even left EARLY to stop at the local donut shop and play video games

 

[stealth2]

In the state where I grew up (which is not the state I live in now) there was at that time, and for all I know still may be, a law that a school district that bussed to public schools must also bus to private schools.

My state does this.

 

[ariastar]

No matter what the distance limit is it will be arbitrary. If it's half a mile, someone just under that mark will complain. If they lower it to 3/8 mile, someone 1/4 mile will complain. At 5 years old, especially in a Massachusetts winter, no matter how close a child is, the child probably shouldn't be walking alone. So should the bus stop and pick up a kid 2 blocks from school?

A lot of school districts have cut bus service altogether without lowering the portion of taxes that previously went to it. You live close enough to the school that it would only take a couple more minutes to drive to the school than waiting for the bus for 10 minutes, if it even takes longer. When I was in high school, the distance limit was raised from a mile to a mile and a half, and we found out by the driver stopping at our stop and letting us know, but refusing to let us on that day. Aye, the snow was freezing, which was why we took the bus for just a mile. We were all usually out there 10 minutes early to account for the bus sometimes being early. When my dad started taking me and my brother instead, it was all of five minutes.

 

[cbg]

You might be surprised to learn that at least in my part of Massachusetts, students in some towns get door to door service if they live right on the route, and never have to walk more than a block for it if they don't.

 

[goddessoflubboc]

Most places I've lived while raising kids has had the 2 mile restriction.

In my current district my kids got picked up even tho we were inside 2 miles because there are no sidewalks and they'd have to cross a state highway. Once they built a school on our side of town, which was more than 2 miles away, they could be bussed there or parents could start driving to the old school. Most kids went to the new one.

 

[ecmst12]

Where I grew up, the bus radius was much smaller for elementary school then for junior high and high school. I was bussed about a mile and a half in elementary school, then middle school which was on the other side of town, but for 7th grade on, both those schools were less then a mile away and I walked. I was thrilled about it too, because I was TORMENTED on the bus in middle school, it was horrible.

 

[melissa1973]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
I pay the same property tax as others; the same portion goes to the school (I presume). Why I don't get the same service?

I'm in MA and have to pay because we are under the 2 mile limit too. You're right, it doesn't seem fair seeing as we pay the same taxes.

 

[samlooker]

I'm in MA and have to pay because we are under the 2 mile limit too. You're right, it doesn't seem fair seeing as we pay the same taxes.

Exactly. What troubles me most is not the inconvenience, but the unfairness. I understand as a society we often give priority to the elderly, the seek and the weak. But for this particular matter, I feel my rights are stripped in order for others to have those rights, and they are not elderly, not seek, nor weak.

 

[HomeGuru]

We enjoyed walking the two miles to school...we even left EARLY to stop at the local donut shop and play video games

**A: what about the snow and stuff.

 

[Zigner]

**A: what about the snow and stuff.

Duuuuude, this is California. Snow down here would be gnarly!