The Deptford school district announced on Aug. 12 that it will abandon controversial changes to its busing policy.
“The transportation committee of the board of education met with administration on Monday, Aug. 12, to discuss this feedback,” said Superintendent Kevin Kanauss in a letter to parents. “After careful consideration, the recommendation and decision to rescind the transportation plan for the 2024-2025 school year has been made.
“Deptford Township schools will continue courtesy transportation to the individual buildings that have received it in the past.”
The busing plan in question would have required students living two miles or fewer from the elementary and middle schools and 2.5 miles or fewer from the high school to walk to school. Those who didn’t want to walk would have been required to pay up to $365 a year to ride a bus.
The announcement of the policy in a letter sent to parents on Aug. 9 triggered a tornado of opposition that also came from residents. Parents felt the plan would endanger their children, as many of the streets leading to the schools do not have sidewalks and have heavy vehicle traffic during school hours.
“I believe that these actions, which have gained significant media attention, reflect a concerning pattern of poor judgement and disregard for the well-being of our students and community,” said Hannah Paselio, a resident and mother of two, on Facebook.
Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that both township council and the police department were not notified of the busing changes before the plan’s initial announcement. A letter signed by Mayor Paul Medany, Police Chief Joseph Smith and Director of Public Safety Sean Dalton was sent to Kanauss and the board of ed demanding they rescind the bus policy.
The letter was shared on the township’s Facebook page and a press conference was held on Aug. 12 to explain it.
“We’ve been hearing about this plan since the letter was sent out on Friday,” Medany noted. “Immediately, we have safety concerns on the plan. There’s 1,800 students involved in this, walking to school in Deptford Township, which is an untenable situation.
“Deptford is a large suburban town and most neighborhoods don’t have sidewalks and curves,” he added. “There was no plan presented to us; it wasn’t vetted through for safety reasons. One of the other reasons for this (the press conference) is the disruption to our family.”
The backlash ultimately led the board to abandon the proposed bus plan.
“Please also note that while we are maintaining courtesy busing, we still need to be mindful of the number of bus stops and resources we are using,” Kanauss said. “All students will be transported, but there will be a need for more neighborhood stops, which may increase the length of the bus ride. Thank you for your attention to this.”
