Board will discuss Caledon East busing at meeting this Tuesday

June 5, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
The discussion on school busing at Caledon East Public School has been put off until next week.
Peel District School Board trustees had been slated to discuss the issue at their meeting last week. But local Trustee Stan Cameron instead put forth a notice of motion, calling for the current busing service to be maintained. Trustees are expected to discuss that at their session this coming Tuesday (June 11).
Parents are concerned because Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR), the consortium that decides busing eligibility issues for Peel’s two school boards, had announced that busing would be cancelled for students living north of Larry Street and east of Airport Road in Caledon East. A group of parents, led by Adam Martin-Robbins, were at the May 14 meeting, expressing their concerns about youngsters have to walk to school along a busy street like Airport Road. He also handed over a petition with 283 signatures, asking that the service remain.
Cameron’s motion stressed the importance of the safety of children, adding busing has “historically been provided to Caledon East Public School students living north of Larry Street.” It also referred to “considerable anxiety among parents” over the safety of kids walking to school. As well, the motion stated that STOPR staff have been unable to answer questions and concerns about why this walking route to school is currently identified on their public computer system, as a “hazard.”
Cameron is calling for an exception to be made regarding eligibility and reinstate the busing for the affected students, effective this September.