LAHARPE — Parents have secured a place for their children to board USD 256 buses headed to Moran, members of the LaHarpe City Council learned during a budget meeting Wednesday.
The new pick-up stop is on South Main Street immediately north of the post office. Right now it sits as a vacant lot but come Monday morning it will be filled with children waiting in parents’ cars to hitch a ride east to Marmaton Valley schools.
According to Ken and Phyllis Nelson, owners of the property being used, the two were approached by Angelia Roney, LaHarpe parent, about using the lot. The Nelsons said they are fine with the setup and while they understand district officials’ viewpoints, agree with Roney that child safety is at the core of the situation.
“I respect USD 257’s view on this,” Phyllis Nelson said. “I know funding is a big issue nowadays but we need to be focusing on children.”
“That property is a lot safer than lining them up out there along a county road,” added Ken Nelson.
Roney puts the responsibility now on the parents for the success of the remedy.
“We will need to make sure there isn’t trash and litter everywhere,” Roney said. “If we want this then we have to step up and make sure things are getting done right.”
School administrators have approached the issue from a financial standpoint, arguing over the state funding that each student represents. However with the 2.5 mile law in effect, there is nothing legally that districts can do. As a result, USD 257 is deciding to give up on their protests for now.
“I talked to the board members Wednesday,” Brian Pekarek, USD 257 superintendent, said. “This has gone from a public entity conversation to a private one, with businesses involved. We’ve decided to take the high road now and refocus our efforts on our district and making our schools the best they can be.”
While Iola’s school district refocuses, parents in LaHarpe still contend that the discussion should have been on child welfare from the beginning.
“This is going to be a lot safer for the kids,” Roney said. “We’ll be getting Jason Prock, LaHarpe policeman, back from his deployment to Afghanistan so there’ll be an officer going up around there on a regular basis. It’s also a well-traveled area so there will plenty of people watching out.”
In addition, those parents concerned with children being left at the stop in the afternoon won’t have to worry. USD 256 bus policy states that children who don’t have a parent present aren’t allowed to exit the bus. Instead, the child would be taken back to Moran where parents would be responsible for picking them up.
Other school districts have observed the situation, waiting to see what might come of it. K.B. Criss, USD 258 superintendent, currently takes a similar stance to what Iola has.
“We are being watchful and observing our school district borders,” Criss said. “We are going to remain within our borders for the time being.”
