SCRANTON, Pa. — There hasn't been a school bus on the streets of Scranton since the beginning of the school year. Students are still learning virtually.
But some families received a letter over the weekend that surprised them, telling them that busing is no longer an option and their students will have to walk once in-person classes resume.
Angel Syrylo received the letter for her sons Mathew and Lucas, who attend Isaac Tripp School.
"I know they wouldn't be able to. They couldn't even walk themselves to the bus stop if they had to!" Syrylo said.
The school district told Newswatch 16 more than 300 students who previously rode the bus will now walk. Many of them were already living within school walk zones but were bused by mistake.
The discrepancy was discovered as school officials went through the transportation budget as a part of the district's financial recovery plan.
The school walk zones are determined by the state — one and a half miles for elementary students and two miles for secondary students.
Newswatch 16 drove the route Angel Syrylo will have to walk with her sons. It took about eight minutes. Syrylo said it's a 30-minute walk, even longer, with her two boys and a toddler in tow.
"I can't imagine walking them up to Tripp in the winter with maybe a project they have to carry up there or their backpack full of books. I have two boys; they're feisty, they're boys. So, trying to walk them all the way, a half-hour, to school, is going to be an issue," she said.
School board members told Newswatch 16 the district hasn't been receiving state funding for the students who were living in walk zones. But, it's also an issue of equity; some families were following the guidelines while others weren't.
The Scranton School Board expects to hear from parents at its next meeting on Monday.