Florida students who live near certain hazardous roads are getting a safer route to school, thanks to a new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Following persistent safety concerns from parents, the government has mandated bus transportation for the journey to school in areas like St. Johns Forest where the risks for walking students are too high. The law requires a school bus for students living in neighborhoods deemed dangerous, specifically mentioning those who would trek along roads like 9B and St. Johns Parkway to reach Liberty Pines Academy.
According to First Coast News, Rep. Kim Kendall, the bill sponsor, showed lawmakers photos of overturned cars on and near the sidewalk, driving the point home about the dangerous conditions students faced. "We never envisioned when the sidewalk finished and kicked in a two-mile walk path, it would force young kids to have to be on the sidewalk with all these cars flipping over on the sidewalks in their paths," Kendall said, highlighting the urgency of the situation that the new legislation seeks to ameliorate.
Action News Jax reported that residents like Kimberly Reach, a mother of four Liberty Pines Academy students, never allowed her children to walk the treacherous path to school.
The new legislation applies statewide and requires all Florida school districts to comply by July 1. According to News4Jax, hazardous walking routes will now qualify for school bus service, including areas near Liberty Pines Academy.
