UPDATE: Milford Public Schools Draw More National Attention

The Milford Public Schools were under intense scrutiny earlier this week by the national media for its initial decision to eliminate Halloween parades at the elementary schools.

The decision was reversed on Monday and the parades will go on, but that didn’t end the school system’s national scrutiny.

The Daily Beast this week chronicled the story of Jaimie McCarvill, of Milford who has been battling cancer for more than a year, and tried unsuccessfully to have a bus pick up her son on the days she couldn’t drive him to school.

McCarvill lives 1.7 miles away from her son’s school and in Milford if you live less than two miles from a high school you do not receive busing. There are no exceptions McCarvill was told by top administrators and city officials, the Daily Beast reports.

In its story, the Daily Beast criticizes Milford school officials for botching the Halloween decision while not assisting McCarvill and her family that was in need.

A school source disputes that claim, and said school officials did work with and spent much time working with McCarvill last year.

Democratic Town Chairman Richard Smith blasted the veracity of the Daily Beast story.

“I’m surprised and disappointed that this story has gotten so much attention and yet not one reporter ever bothered to ask this woman the simplest of questions, were your needs accommodated? Did your children get seats on the bus? It is my understanding that in fact the answer is, yes.

Her needs were accommodated and barely a month into the last year’s school year both her children had been provided seats on the school bus. So, with that revelation, what’s the story here?,” Smith told Milford Patch on Thursday.

McCarvill told the Daily Beast that many of the roads are not safe to walk to school especially during the winter months.

Schools Chief Operations Officer James L. Richetelli Jr. told Milford Patch he couldn’t comment on the story.

The SCGIIK district does have a policy that beginning on Oct. 1 students who are ineligible to ride the bus can petition to do so if there is room.

The Board of Education is looking to possibly reduce the walking requirements for students and may vote on a proposal as soon as November.