A Kentucky sixth grader on crutches will once again be able to catch the school bus at her family’s driveway after her grandmother said Jefferson County Public Schools denied four requests to move her stop.
The family told WDRB Friday morning that JCPS had called to say Preslee Havey’s stop would be moved back to the driveway.
That driveway was not new territory for the school buses. Preslee’s grandmother, Trish Russell, said buses had stopped there for 16 years before the district assigned Preslee a stop more than half a mile away for the new school year.
Preslee has a broken leg and uses crutches. Getting between the new stop and home meant traveling along a road without a sidewalk or shoulder. Meanwhile, her school bus was already passing directly in front of the family’s house each day.
A Longer Walk
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WDRB accompanied Preslee and Russell along the route between the house and the assigned stop.
Part of the walk follows a hill bordered by vegetation. Without a sidewalk or shoulder, Preslee said walking through the grass meant going under trees or around brush.
Russell said the alternative was walking on the road.
Preslee’s broken leg made the route an immediate problem for the family. Russell said relatives had been taking turns leaving work early to pick her up rather than have her make the trip.
The bus itself required no detour past the house.
“It’s not like they have to create a special route for just our stop,” Russell told WDRB.
Four Noes
Russell said she began challenging the new stop before the school year started.
The first appeal was denied. The family disputed the decision again, and JCPS moved the stop across the street from its previous location, according to Russell.
That left Preslee with essentially the same trip and required her to cross the road.
“We are currently at our fifth request, and we’ve got four denials,” Russell told WDRB.
Russell said she offered to provide the district with a video showing the walk. According to her, the district said it did not need the video because its decision was based on mapping.
WDRB asked JCPS how it determines whether a bus stop is safe and why Preslee’s stop could not be returned to the driveway. A district spokesperson said someone would check on the situation but did not provide answers before the story was published.
JCPS provides families with assigned bus-stop information through its transportation system and directs questions about routes to a student’s school or the district’s Transportation Office.
Back to the Driveway
The situation changed by Friday morning.
Preslee’s family told WDRB that they received a call informing them the stop would be moved back to the family’s driveway.
WDRB also posted the update after its original report.
The district’s reason for reversing the decision was not reported.
Before learning that her stop would be restored, Preslee had offered JCPS a considerably simpler assessment of the route.
“You should not drop me off down there because it’s a dangerous road,” she told WDRB.