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Lee County Schools Host Bus Stop Safety Town Hall

Andrea Perdomo
/
WGCU
School District of Lee County Director of Transportation Roger Lloyd (left) and Superintendent Greg Adkins listen as a concerned parent speaks during a school bus stop safety town hall.

About 50 people, including Lee County School District board members and Superintendent Dr. Gregory Adkins, gathered at the Lee County Public Education Center Tuesday evening to talk about school bus stop safety.

 

Since January, two Lee County students have died after being hit by cars while walking to or from school bus stops. The town hall discussion revolved around how to prevent further deaths from happening.

Attendees were given an opportunity to share their concerns and offer solutions to the leaders of the school district.

 

Some parents and concerned community members said students waiting in the dark, early morning hours puts them at risk of not being seen by morning commuters.They suggested things like solar powered lights, permanent and clearly marked bus stops and the installation of speed bumps. There was also the suggestion to change school schedules to ensure students are able to wait in the daylight for their school buses.

Superintendent Adkins said such changes cannot be implemented overnight and that the school district is working hard to find short and long term solutions to keeping Lee County school children safe.

Andrea Perdomo is a reporter for WGCU News. She started her career in public radio as an intern for the Miami-based NPR station, WLRN. Andrea graduated from Florida International University, where she was a contributing writer for the student-run newspaper, The Panther Press, and was also a member of the university's Society of Professional Journalists chapter.