Children's walk worries parents

FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) - The Community Schools of Frankfort began enforcing a one mile no bus zone this school year and now many parents are speaking out against the policy, worried about their children's safety walking to and from school.

Joshua Polston, like many parents in the district, is worried about his three elementary age children walking on certain streets that don't have sidewalks, crossing roads without crossing guards, and passing the houses where registered sex offenders live.

The Polston Family lives nearly a mile from Suncrest Elementary School along a busy road near factories. News Channel 18 walked with the family on their way home from Suncrest Elementary to see what their route was like.

"ADM [Archer-Daniels-Midland Grain Company] and Frito Lay, they are just right down. There is a lot of traffic with people going to work on Barner Street. That brings us the issue of sidewalks and traffic," Polston explained.

The issue with sidewalks is that some streets don't have them.

"If they took the route they were supposed to, there are some sidewalks and then it goes into grass," Polston said.

Another issue for Polston is his first grader Sydney doesn't always know which way takes her home, which is what happened when News Channel 18 walked with the Polston family home from school Thursday afternoon.

The Lafayette School Corporation has a one-and-a-half mile walk zone. Parents at Suncrest Elementary School said those are neighborhood schools. Suncrest Elementary has corn fields lining one side of it and it sits on the edge of town.

"We used to have the neighborhood schools," explained Michaella Massengill, who lives within a mile of the school and chooses to drive her children to and from school. "We had five schools in Frankfort, elementary schools that is. They decided to build this one all the way out here and then they decided to build Blue Ridge and Green Meadows."

Some parents are finding their own solutions.

"Today, I happen to be picking up one of my friend's children so that she doesn't have to leave work. My kids ride the bus, so I made a special trip here to pick up her child so that she could stay at work," explained Lori Ostler.

The Community Schools of Frankfort Superintendent Les Bivens said a committee has been formed regarding the one-mile no bus zone.

He declined to go on camera, but gave a statement to NewsChannel 18 stating the committee is looking to establish an affordable child care program for all three elementary schools in the district. The statement also said the program would allow people to drop off their children before school begins or pick them up after school hours.

Parents who said they are now forced to pick their children up from school each day believe the program wouldn't be a solution.

"It still does not help the situation. Not all parents can afford to pay $20, $30 a week per child. I have three kids. That is $100 extra a week on top of my other financial bills I have," Massengill said.

The school district has not said how much the proposed child care would cost.