PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Petersburg NAACP is asking the Pinellas County School District for more options to keep students safe when commuting to school.
Many students have to cross dangerous roads.
Benjamin Brown is a parent who said when students, including his own children, cross 9th Street to school, it's very dangerous.
"On a scale of one to 10, it would be a 10. It would be a 10 because a lot of people aren't paying attention. They are just on their cellphone and not really focused on what they are doing," Brown said.
He said there needs to be more options for students to be picked up closer to their homes, without needing to cross busy roads.
"More needs to happen, more needs to happen. More people in place to make sure these students [are safe] because they are the future," said Brown.
It’s something that the president of the St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP agrees with.
"What is the safety option for parents and students that have to walk across busy streets when there is no crossing guards or anyone to assist them with that?" said Esther Sanni, President of the NAACP.
Sanni contacted the Pinellas County School District back in September because her goddaughter has to cross the very busy 4th Street North to get to school.
"The school board has said that there has been a decrease in enrollment and so if this is a space availability option, I would imagine that there's space available on the buses," said Sanni.
She tried to apply for the space-available transportation option, which allows students to be picked up by school bus if they live less than two miles from the school and there are empty seats available.
Sanni said when she contacted the transportation department, she was told that the program is no longer available to parents.
"It wasn't necessarily an option to the community."
Since her phone call with the transportation department, she has reached out to the school board several times with no response.
I contacted the Pinellas County School District and received a statement saying safety is the district's number one priority. The statement also said, "Florida law does not require districts to provide transportation for students who live within two miles of their school, except for certain elementary students who face hazardous walking conditions as defined by law.
"Since 2019, the district has limited 'space-available transportation' to help consolidate routes and operate more efficiently."
Sanni said she wants to see more solutions.
"I need to see a bus in the area pick her up so that she can safely travel from home to school daily," said Sanni.
If parents have concerns about how students get to school, you can click here.
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