A petition asking the Central Okanagan School District (SD23) to provide bus transportation for all students is gaining steam online.

The petition, started by West Kelowna mother Nicole Day, details the issues families in West Kelowna, Westbank and Peachland face when it comes to school bus transportation for their children.

Day has two children who both go to Mount Boucherie Secondary School and a third child who goes to Mar Jok Elementary. Despite living in the same house, Day says only her younger teen was approved for bus transportation while her older teen was not, forcing them to walk to school.

Within 72 hours of officially launching on Oct. 4, the petition gained 1,000 signatures, with more parents signing it and voicing their support for it. She said she may have only been dealing with the issue for a couple of years but through the petition, she found out that other parents have been dealing with it for many years.

含羞草研究社淧arents I含羞草研究社檝e been talking to said (the school district) has been dealing with this for 25 years,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 starting to think it含羞草研究社檚 just a problem that含羞草研究社檚 never been solved.含羞草研究社�

Day含羞草研究社檚 petition is proposing that walking distances be made shorter and that every student is provided with bus transportation to and from school, instead of having one child approved while the other isn含羞草研究社檛 despite being from the same home.

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含羞草研究社淚n a Zoom meeting at the beginning of the school year, they told us the budget they含羞草研究社檝e allotted for bus transportation and that they含羞草研究社檙e not obligated to provide bus transportation to make sure the kids make it to school,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淏ut school and school transportation should be essential services, right?

含羞草研究社淒uring that meeting, they told us we could privately charter their buses and drivers含羞草研究社� that alone shows me that they have the drivers and the buses, but they don含羞草研究社檛 want to pay. They don含羞草研究社檛 want to put the money there.含羞草研究社�

Moyra Baxter, the chairperson for the SD23 board of education, said the district and the board are aware of the petition, as well as the reasons for it.

She said the school district is doing the best it can with the limited funding it has, and for a service that they are not obligated to provide to students.

含羞草研究社淚 understand why parents want this and how they feel but it含羞草研究社檚 something we need to budget for and we含羞草研究社檙e putting in an awful lot more than what we含羞草研究社檙e receiving from the government and the fees we collect for bussing,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淏elieve me, as school districts, we含羞草研究社檝e been advocating for a long time. We know how important transportation is.含羞草研究社�

She said given the limited amount of funding from the provincial government as well as the limited amount of funds they collect through bus fees, the question is: what is the school district going to cut out of its budget to provide student transportation?

含羞草研究社淲hat do parents want to do without in order to get there? This has been going on for decades and it含羞草研究社檚 not a new issue, but we含羞草研究社檙e doing the best we can,含羞草研究社� Baxter said.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e amalgamated routes, we含羞草研究社檝e limited walking distances含羞草研究社� I含羞草研究社檝e spoken to the select committee on the budget from the province recently, and spoke about the importance of transportation for students. We cannot be having all these cars driving to and from schools. It含羞草研究社檚 more sensible to have children on buses, so I hope they provide money for those buses.

含羞草研究社淏ut right now, it含羞草研究社檚 not as simple as 含羞草研究社榃e含羞草研究社檒l do what you want.含羞草研究社� We含羞草研究社檙e putting in a lot of extra money and routes into this, but we just can含羞草研究社檛 put every student on buses.含羞草研究社�

If you would like to sign the petition, you can do so through.

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twila.amato@blackpress.ca
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