By:LARRY MAIER
School board to discuss potential busing changes for students at Nov. 7 meeting
Mark Schwartz thinks the decision should be an easy one.
At a school board meeting last May, the Kirkwood Avenue resident requested that the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District establish a Child Safety Zone that would allow students who live south of Sunrise Highway to receive busing to Merrick Avenue Middle School.
Schwartz, whose daughter will attend the middle school in 2002, and other parents who are concerned about their children's safety when crossing Sunrise Highway have asked the district to place a Child Safety Zone proposition on the ballot for the May school budget vote.
"The issue should be left to the voters," said Schwartz, who believes that if the proposition were on the ballot, it would pass. "I've spoken to many residents whose children would not be affected who said they would support it. Letting voters decide if they want [the safety zone] or not is a no-brainer."
At last May's board meeting, Denise Malderelli, of Central Parkway, submitted a 300-signature petition to the school board requesting the safety zone for all district students who live south of Sunrise Highway, including elementary, middle and high school students. The petition was denied because it did not properly define the safety zone's geographic boundaries as required by state law. It did, however, illustrate the desire of many residents for Child Safety Zone, Malderelli said.
According to an Aug. 24 letter from district superintendent Dr. Thomas Caramore to Schwartz, the school board has asked the district's administration to review Child Safety Zone regulations and the cost of potentially reducing the district's transportation limit. Now, the district buses only students who live a mile and a half or more from the school.
Caramore's letter also stated that if the school board decides to change the transportation limit or designate a Child Safety Zone, it would have to do so by April 1, 2002, to be put up for a public vote in May.
The issue of what to do about busing Central School District students who live south of Sunrise Highway is slated for discussion at the Nov. 7 school board meeting, after board members review materials and recommendations from the administration.
Parents have said that they don't believe the additional transportation costs to the district, and thus to taxpayers, would be that great if the safety zone were established. Many have said that they see half-filled buses traveling from south Merrick to the district's school throughout the year.
"I know that there are buses that are not at full capacity," said Malderelli, who has five children in the district and drives them all to school because she says it is unsafe to let them walk.
Other parents say that transportation costs shouldn't matter. Last month's death of 14-year-old Dustin Freda, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Sunrise Highway at night, points to the potential danger of Sunrise Highway, Schwartz said.
"I don't care if we need one extra bus or 100 extra buses," said
Schwartz. "What is the cost of a child's life?"
School Board President Louis Kruh defended the district's need to study the Child Safety Zone issue thoroughly before reaching a decision. Kruh said that the district cannot allow every request from residents to be put up for a referendum without careful consideration. He also questioned the need to change a policy that has been in place for years with significant problems.
"I don't recall any district having to change transportation to cross a highway," said Kruh. "My kids were never bused anywhere, and I am very protective of my kids."
But Schwartz said that Sunrise Highway is no longer the manageable road it was years ago. At last May's school board meeting, Schwartz presented traffic statistics from the state Department of Transportation that showed a 60-percent increase in traffic on Sunrise Highway from 1979 to 1998. Schwartz also provided statistics from the county Police Department that detailed 73 accidents at Merrick Avenue and Sunrise Highway in the last three and a half years. Seven of the accidents involved pedestrians, and three occurred during times when students might have crossed the intersection.
Board Vice President Alyse Middendorf said the board would make a determination about how to proceed only after reviewing the administration's analysis, including any "legal ramifications."
"I think the board would be hard pressed to make a decision on this without having all the information," Middendorf said.
Malderelli said she hopes the school board sees the same need she and others do. "This is something we need. It's not a matter of convenience, it's a matter of protecting our children's lives," she said.
