ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In Pinellas County, school is now in its second week. For some parents, recent changes to a bus stop location have become a challenge.
"Our daughter, Natalie, is a freshman at Gibbs High School. We're very happy that she's going to an awesome magnet school," Mike Brenner said. Brenner lives in Shore Acres, a neighborhood in St. Petersburg.
The start of the school year is meant to be an exciting time. In the Brenner household, that excitement can be a little bit more difficult to find in the early morning hours.
"It's been pretty dramatic. I mean, you know, we knew we'd be waking up earlier. But waking up at 5:15 every morning has been an adjustment," Brenner explained.
Brenner said in order for their kids to get to their new bus stop, it's a nearly 3-mile walk that doesn't have sidewalks throughout. The morning pick-up arrives before the sun is up — at 6:30 a.m.
But here's the thing, because Natalie attends Gibbs High School. She's part of the Pinellas County Center of the Arts Program. Because she attends a magnet school, not a school she is zoned for, there are different transportation guidelines the school district has to comply with.
For students attending magnet schools, the district doesn't have to provide transportation.
"They don't offer the programs in the area of study at Northeast High School that they do at Gibbs and then fourth, I mean, that doesn't match with the education that my daughter is looking to achieve," Brenner said.
According to the county's website, bus stops for magnet students are referred to as arterial stops.
"Although not required by law to do so, Pinellas County Schools provides bus transportation for magnet program students," the website reads. "As stated on page 15 of the Procedures for District Application Programs, in order to keep the length of the bus ride as short as practicable, students are provided arterial routing to the school. Arterial routing restricts bus operation to main roads and limits the number of stops. Bus stops will be farther from the student’s home than a zoned school stop. All arterial stops align with safety guidelines set by law and School Board Policy 8600 - Transportation."
For children attending a school they are zoned for, bus stops must be within 1.5 miles of a child's home.
Brenner said the bus stop change was announced a few weeks before the first day of school. Now, Natalie's parents drive her to the bus stop twice a day to get her to and from school.
"At the end of the day, all we want is a reasonable bus stop," Brenner said.
When asked if anything can be done to provide closer bus stops for students, the school district recommended parents call the transportation center.
District Transportation Call Center
Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Phone: (727) 587-2020
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.