CEDAR PARK, Texas -- Some parents are concerned for their children's safety after Leander ISD made changes to its school bus route.
Children who live in the Cypress Bend neighborhood, along with many others, will no longer be able to ride the bus to school.
Cypress Creek is a busy road, and at three in the afternoon, it's a road kids will soon be crossing.
Leander ISD notified parents in Cypress Bend last week that, starting next school year, their bus service will come to an end.
It’s news some parents like Michelle Caldwell aren't happy to hear. Caldwell documented her and her kids walking to school on Facebook, and said the nearly two-mile journey for them to get to Naumann Elementary School isn't safe.
“It was dark when we started our route, which is a big concern for me of course because it's not even fall or winter time,” said Caldwell.
Beside of the time of day, she's concerned about reckless drivers.
“The fact that the walkways are so incredibly close to the roadway, where cars are going to be going 45 miles per hour, and today distracted drivers are just too numerous on this roadway to take that chance with our kids' safety,” said Caldwell.
Leander ISD Spokesman Corey Ryan said there's a reason for the change and that's because with the neighborhood being within two miles of the school, it's not guaranteed a bus service and, secondly, when the district did its annual evaluation, that area wasn't considered hazardous.
“The Cypress Bend neighborhood had an improvement several years prior that made it ineligible for hazardous route transportation,” said Ryan.
Caldwell disagrees.
“Nothing has changed to make this any safer,” said Caldwell.
With her 8- and 11-year-old, she’s not willing to take the risk.
“I’'ve seen it,” said Caldwell. “I've seen people running red lights. They get impatient, they're coming in and out of this business area, they don't look, they aren't expecting to see a 5-year-old."
Caldwell said the district should ask for community input before canceling bus services.
According to Ryan, the district first warned parents that this change was coming last April. Now, he said the decision of whether or not a child should walk or carpool is up to the family.