Shuffled building assignments for the new school year have raised transportation and safety concerns among some Lebanon School District parents.
The completion of a years-long, districtwide construction program means that all fifth-graders, who had previously gone to one of five elementary schools across the city, will now attend the remodeled Lebanon Intermediate School on North 8th Street.
But the district’s policy of not busing students who live less than 1.5 miles from their school has not changed, and that has left at least one district parent unhappy.
John Cikovic lives near 12th and Poplar streets, about a 1.3-mile walk to the intermediate school. He has a fifth-grade son who in previous years would have been going to Southwest Elementary, less than half a mile away. Cikovic is worried not so much about the added walking distance, but busy streets, lack of crossing guards, and certain areas along the way.
“I had anticipated that with the fifth and sixth grades being moved and walking distances extended, the school district would have adjusted their busing policies. Unfortunately, they did not, even for the younger children living south of the train tracks and south of Route 422,” Cikovic told LebTown
“When I enquired, I was told the busing cutoff is 1.5 miles; we live just over 1.4 miles away. This means my son will have to walk across multiple busy streets and the train tracks,” Cikovic said. “While there is a pedestrian bridge, he is only 10 years old. I asked the administration about this safety concern and received little to no answer.”
Another fifth-grade parent, who asked not to be named, said her family lives at the fringe of the school district, 1.9 miles from the intermediate school, and that her child walks 1.4 miles along sidewalk-free streets to Southwest Elementary and is bused to the school from there.
Asked about distances, district superintendent Dr. Nicole Malinoski said via email that “the law allows a school district to ask a child, regardless of age, to walk up to a mile and a half to a bus stop. The mile and a half is measured by public roads and does not include any private lane or walkway of the child’s residence.”
Malinoski said “we recognize that the Intermediate School now serves younger students and that many families who live within the 1.5-mile distance are concerned about their children walking to school. The number of families driving their children has also created considerable traffic challenges during arrival and dismissal.”
“We appreciate our families’ patience as we work through these transportation and safety concerns. Our plan is to meet as a Leadership team in September to discuss traffic flow and student transportation at the Intermediate School. Following that meeting, we will share any recommendations with the full Board for further consideration.”
Malinoski told LebTown that district officials “are actively reviewing these issues and working to identify solutions that will better support the safety and transportation needs of our students. Student safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we take each concern seriously.”
Regarding Cikovic’s assertion that there aren’t enough crossing guards, Malinoski pointed out that “crossing guards are provided by the City of Lebanon. We understand the concerns regarding crossing guard coverage and plan to discuss them at our next school safety meeting.” (Following publication of this story, Mayor Sherry Capello reached out with additional comments and said that the location of school crossing guards is decided jointly by the city and the district, see below.)
Malinoski also addressed comments by both parents that busing has been expanded for high school and junior high students living on the city’s north side, regardless of distance. The two schools lie at the southern edge of the district.
“One of our district priorities is improving student attendance, and when we studied student attendance for the last two years, we noticed a high population of students north of the tracks who attend the junior high and high school were habitually missing school. That is why we added busing north of the tracks for our junior high and high school students this year.”
The Lebanon school board meets on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the board room at Lebanon High School, 1000 S. 8th St. The procedure for speaking to the board can be found here.
Update Sept. 4 – Lebanon mayor Sherry Capello contacted LebTown following publication of the story and said that the location of school crossing guards is decided jointly by the city and the district.
“While the city holds the statutory power to officially appoint the guards (they are our employees and we train them on their duties), the costs of the guards, including wages is shared equally by the district and the city,” said Capello. “Pennsylvania state law restricts the physical duties and authority of crossing guards specifically to traffic and pedestrian management in areas cooperatively identified by both local law enforcement and school administration.”
Capello said locations are determined based on a police evaluation and school assessment.
“If it is determined that structural safety mechanisms like flashing beacons or newly marked crosswalks are needed, we would need to consult with an engineer or PennDOT, perform a traffic study and possibly obtain a permit,” said Capello.
Capello said that the district did not request any changes prior to the opening day of school, and that the topic came up for the first time during a Safe Schools meeting on Monday, Aug. 31.
“Principal Sanchez asked if additional crossing guards could be positioned to help with students walking from the southwest section of the city to the Intermediate School,” said Capello. “That was the first request we received regarding this matter. We were also asked if we could change the traffic signal at Church and Lehman when the Intermediate School lets out at the end of the day, but any changes to a traffic signal requires a traffic study and approval by PennDOT.”
Capello said that the city requested information from the district on student walking routes, bus stops, and any complaints received about certain intersections so they may be evaluated.
“We would then meet with district staff to further discuss and arrive at a decision,” said Capello.
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