After Parent Appeals, Natia Manor Bus Route Returns

A summer of organizing and protest paid off for the families of Natia Manor last week, when their children's elementary school bus route was reinstated after having been eliminated in June.

The families of the 23 students affected learned of their small victory on Sept. 1.

The battle started in late June when Todd Watkins, the Montgomery County Public Schools director of transportation, sent a letter to the families of Natia Manor informing them that bus service for Travilah Elementary School students would no longer be provided to their neighborhood.

The reason: A recently built path along Travilah Road now provided the neighborhood with walking access for 0.8 mile to the school.

Mongtomery County Board of Education Student Transportation Policy states that transportation will be provided for elementary schools beyond one mile. It also states MCPS is responsible for evaluating the safety of walking routes.

But parents worried that the path, which at points falls just a few feet from the busy road, was dangerous for children as young as 5 to walk along twice a day.

They pointed to a 2004 car hit-and-run on Travilah Road just two miles from Travilah Elementary that killed Wootton High School junior Solomon King.

In late, June Todd Watkins responded to parents' concerns in an email. 

"As I look at the walk route the students in Natia Manor will take to get to and from school at Travilah Elementary, I find it to be an ideal route," he wrote. "Younger walkers will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian as they walk, just like they needed to be accompanied while walking to/from and waiting at the school bus stop."

In August, parents appealed Watkins' decision to MCPS chief operating officer Larry Bowers.

Parent Jeff Grispoon opened the case by showing a short video he had taken to demonstrate how it felt to walk along the path just feet away from speeding cars.

"It didn't take long to find cars speeding down the road," Grispoon said.   "You'll see cars coming to a stop as they see the camera."

In defense of his decision, Watkins presented information at the hearing on national and local bus riding statistics and said 33 percent of students at Montgomery County Schools do not ride the bus. He pointed out that the path did not cross a major road and compared the walking path with similar routes around the country.

Natia Manor parents also presented Bowers a letter from the chief of pavement at the Department of Transportation indicating the path would not be maintained.

Much of the path is already overgrown with weeds and brush.

After 10 days of consideration, Bowers sent a letter to the families informing them that he had reversed Watkins' decision. The Natia Manor bus route was reinstated on Sept. 7, the start of the second week of school.

Children, many of whom are just starting kindergarten, took the bus for the first time that day.

"They love it," said parent Jeffrey Lewis. "They are very excited to have their bus. I understand we have the same bus driver that this route has had for several years, he seems like a nice guy."

Todd Walkins had said budget concerns were a factor in his decision. But he said they were able to bring the bus route back without any added expense.

"In this case, we did not have to add another bus to transport Natia Manor. We were able to adjust the routes of existing buses to accommodate the additional riders," said Watkins in an email. "The walking policy as a whole saves many millions of dollars, as transporting all students would require hundreds of additional buses."

Lewis said he doubts the path will get used between his neighborhood and the school, since it ends at the corner of Travilah and Dufief Mill. He said that is partly because it is so close to the busy road.

"I was out measuring one night, and this car came flying around the corner. I was scared, and I'm a grown man," Lewis said.

MCPS did not eliminate any other school bus routes this year, and no additional cuts are expected at this time, Watkins said.

"As new pedestrian access is created near schools around the county, each situation is evaluated to see if bus service is still appropriate," Watkins said.