I believe the board needs to solely consider the childrens safety.We read more and more on people that want to give children rides as they walk to & from schools and even when children are out somewhere playing walking. I will say if the school board don,t let the busses pick up the children and take them back home the school board should sign an agreement that the school will be responsible for their safety walking to and from home to school and each board member that says no to the bussing of children should be held personaly liable for there safety and also sign an agreement to that affect also.

I think it's ridiculous that "the plan" won't be ready for the Board to hear until August 13th ... only 14 days before school starts. Dr. Seidenberger and the whole entire school board are leaving parents hanging. This "plan" should have been laid out LONG before now, giving plenty time for everyone to review it PROPERLY, not in some rush before the first day of school. If Willow Lane was always intended to be a walking school, why is it only now that they are putting together a safety plan?! They've had 3 years to get this ready and roll it out ... but they're not going to present it until 2 weeks before school starts. This is the height of irresponsibility on their part.

Realities being what they are, Michelle, what do you think is the way to go from here?

I still don't understand why it's OK in everyone's mind for Lincoln and Jefferson kids to walk to school....many of them don't have "helicopter" parents who walk them to and from school everyday. They manage to walk to school in all types of weather and make it there safely. Seems like a double standard for the LM kids vs. the boro kids.

This is ridiculous. Not for the lack of planning, but the argument of no buses, so 320 cars are the solution? How about you walk? Safety? How about educating your children to not approach strangers. Seriously, it's within 1.5 miles. Or are your children fat? If not, they will be.

In the state of PA, schools are NOT required to provide transportation to students except for those with Disabilites. THIS IS THE LAW!! What happens when the bus company goes on strike? Remember what happened a few years ago? The bus company is a privately owned company and is NOT run by the school district. The school district pays First Student to provide the transportation as a convenience. They are not required to have public transportation. It was in the news not to long ago that the East Penn Superintendent of Schools wanted to cut all bus services because the state was cutting funds. "Seidenberger said that he knows parents will be upset to learn that the district would consider cutting student bus service down the road" http://emmaus.patch.com/articles/east-penn-may-look-at-cutting-student-buses-in-2013-2014

60,000 is the figure for willow lane. But you take the figure saved from ALL walking neighborhoods it's substantial. My only point of concern is creating a double standard between the boroughs and the townships. It's my understanding Emmaus, Alburtis and Macungie all have walkers. (Macungie did when I went to school)

I do agree however that this stuff should have been figured out quicker. It's my understanding many who live further out closer to the 1.5 range will receive exceptions. I haven't heard anything yet about how those exceptions would be granted and whats the protocol.

It IS a safety issue, but it's not about educating children not to approach strangers -- mine know that full well, thank you very much. However, for Willow, almost all walking students would be crossing at least one busy road (2 of which have 4-way stop intersections that NO ONE knows how to negotiate), and then crossing 2 active, busy driveways and parking lots to just reach the building. We are talking busy roads and too many cars. Did you know that almost 400 children a year are killed walking to school? And did you know that the vast majority of those are killed by cars driven by parents driving *their* kids to school? Sorry ... I've already lived through the death of one of my children. I'm not risking the lives of the other two -- and certainly not because the school district couldn't get its act together over the course of THREE YEARS time. The lack of planning in this case IS ridiculous. THREE YEARS to put a plan in place and they've done nothing ... why is it now being done in the 11th hour? Their lack of planning in this case is unconscionable. If Willow is going to be a walking school, so be it. But, please, let's do it RIGHT. Not scrambling at the last minute. And not to save $60,000.

From a previous news coverage and board meetings, it is my understanding that Wescosville has no walking students, Shoemaker has no walking students, Macungie has no walking students, and Alburtis has walking students, but they do not have to walk 1.5 miles (just a much shorter walking distance for Alburtis). Also, where are the areas in Emmaus that walk 1.5 miles? I am not aware of a street in Emmaus that currently walks 1.5 miles, but could anyone share which street in Emmaus walks 1.5 miles currently? Any additional information would be appreciated from the Patch or comments. There should be no double standard. We all pay taxes and elect school board members. If Emmaus would like bus service, there is certainly a way to get it through school board elections, and participating at school board meetings. Obviously, the majority of the school board wants to eliminate this transportation, and Julian Stolz is leading the fight for student safety, but he is outnumbered by the other votes on the board at this time.

Its awfully nice of them they cant find the 60k to bus our kids for their safety but they have a close door meeting to discuss raises for non union contracted employees meaning administration. Maybe they should make that meeting public and tell us as parents why they dont care about safety but care about adding money to their pockets.

Just submitted a question regarding total number of walkers and what schools. I may have been incorrect saying that Alburtis and Macungie students walk. I was going off when I went to school. . . now this was over a decade ago (geesh I'm gettin old) - I'll post when I get this information.

The other issue not mention, and a serious one, is the weight of the backpacks the children are carrying. As an adult I would not want to carry one of those for 1.5 miles. The children will develop back and shoulder problems, ask your pediatrician. Also, the lockers in school will not accomodate the roller type packs, so much for planning a walking school. Are the people making these decisions so consumed with $60K that they have lost all their common sense?

Does anyone know if the $60K is a net figure? Have the wages for the crossing guards been factored in? If not, the savings will be smaller than $60K.

@richard - in Emmaus it's volunteers. The borough pays for supplies (signs vests ect) 1000-1500

Per year..

If there are crossing guards and side walks, what is the problem???? I agree, the Lincoln, Jefferson, and some Alburtis Elementary kids walk. Teach your kids about street smarts, have the neighborhood kids walk together. The fact is, the neighborhoods you are talking about were shoemaker kids before they were willow lane and the shoemaker kids never had to walk....parents need to teach them how to stay on the sidewalk, not clown around, and listen to the crossing guards....geez....shouldn't be a safety issue if the kids learn how to navigate safely...it's a life skill. Extra cars dropping them off are a result of spoiled parents who don't want to walk their kids to school....no wonder kids are over weight. Parents be an example and teach your kids.

Other school & districts allow elementary students to walk 1.5 miles. As long as there are crossing guards at the intersections I see no problem with that. Kids need the exercise they are getting way to heavy for a healthy life.

Good point Faith. Let the people whining about their poor children walking to school pay for the bus. Why should we all pay. My gut feeling is the school board will break down and give in to their whining. You know, grease the squeaky wheel.

I believe there are two crossing guards near Jefferson and a teacher posted in front of the building. Lincoln definitely has three and maybe four crossing guards. There is no "plan" for keeping the kids safe. They walk to school and cross a lot more streets than those manned by crossing guards. Have you ever driven down Harrison Street around 8:30am or 3:30pm? The kids are helped across the busy Harrison intersections by a VOLUNTEER crossing guard. They are on their own the rest of the way. Many kids walk from Colonial Crest apartments and are crossing 5-6-7 streets. And, yes, that includes the intersection of Harrison and Macungie...I don't hear their parents complaining.

Safety is paramount. Even Stolz recognizes this. The administration and the rest of the school board would be foolish not to come to the same conclsuion.

The only good that will come out of this little escapade is that when the next budget is developed, EPSD will discover that it will have pelenty of fund balance after spending $60,000 from the reserve, and in the process that it's taxpayers will have avoided an additional, unnecessary 0.04 mill increase!

One point that has not been made is that the difference between walking to Lincoln or Jefferson and walking to Willow Lane is sidewalks. I teach a class at Willow Lane in the early afternoon and I would not want to be walking on those roads. Drivers drive as though they are late for their last meal. There is a lot more traffic on all of the surrounding roads than you would think. Where would the kids walk safely?