SAN ANTONIO – A Judson Independent School District grandmother is worried about her 11-year-old granddaughter’s walk to school after she said the district cut a bus route that had served their neighborhood for years.
Despite the district no longer considering the walk hazardous, Jacklyn Cotton told KSAT Investigates she believes the route is unsafe.
“I wouldn’t want my grandchild or anybody else’s child to walk this street,” Cotton said.
Cotton invited KSAT Investigates out to see the route her granddaughter has to walk to get to Metzger Middle School, located at 7475 Binz Engleman Road.
Students who live more than two miles from school qualify for bus service, according to Judson ISD’s website. Cotton’s home is just within that distance, meaning her granddaughter and other kids in the neighborhood have to walk to Metzger Middle School.
However, for years the area qualified for bus service because the district considered the walk to school hazardous.
Judson ISD and Texas Education Agency guidelines state that a route may be considered hazardous if there is no sidewalk or walkway, and students must walk along or cross high-traffic areas, such as a freeway, major road or bridge. An area with a high level of violent crime could also qualify.
“Judson did have the bus route that was right around here that came on my street and into the neighborhood,” Cotton said. “Now all of a sudden, they’re rezoning.”
Why some Judson ISD students lost bus service
KSAT Investigates filed a records request to get a list of Judson ISD’s hazardous bus routes for the last few school years.
The district confirmed to KSAT Investigates the number of hazardous routes districtwide dropped from 33 last school year to 24 this school year.
During an August 20 meeting, Judson ISD’s board said many of the routes had not been evaluated since 2013 and no longer meet the TEA’s standard for a hazardous route.
“We have to be careful with that because it involves funding,” Judson ISD board president Monica Ryan said. “So if it’s declared a hazardous route, it has to meet certain criteria and then we get extra funding from the state to bus those students.”
Records show the route Cotton’s granddaughter would take to Metzger Middle School was removed from the hazardous list because sidewalks are now present along parts of the route.
Cotton believes the sidewalks are not enough to keep kids safe while walking to school.
“Yes, they have the sidewalks, but cars, they speed up and down the street,” Cotton said.
KSAT Investigates emailed Judson ISD’s Direction of Communications, Lexie Greathouse, in mid-August asking for an interview with Judson ISD Transportation Director Earl Stewart to discuss Cotton’s concerns.
Greathouse told KSAT Stewart would be unable for an in-person interview, even after KSAT Investigates asked for his availability over the course of a week and a half.
Instead, Greathouse emailed the following statement:
“At Judson ISD, our highest priority is the safety of our students. Hazardous route determinations are not based on budget considerations but on criteria established by Texas law and Board policy. The Judson ISD Board of Trustees reviews and designates hazardous routes based on the standards outlined in Texas Education Code 48.151 and CNA Legal Policy.
A hazardous route is generally defined as an area within two miles of a campus where students must navigate conditions such as freeways, expressways, bridges, underpasses, overpasses, uncontrolled major traffic arteries, industrial or commercial areas, or other comparable hazards without a safe walking path. Routes may also qualify if law enforcement data indicates a high risk of violence.
As our communities and infrastructure changes, hazardous route designations are periodically reviewed. In some cases, new development creates the need for additional transportation services. In others, improvements such as sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic controls, or pedestrian pathways can eliminate hazardous conditions, allowing students to safely walk to school. When a route no longer meets the established hazardous route criteria, it may be removed from the hazardous route list following the district’s review process.
While some families may be affected by these changes, student safety remains the driving factor in all hazardous route evaluations.
Regarding transportation operations, Judson ISD continues to experience a bus driver shortage and is currently recruiting additional drivers. Staffing challenges can sometimes result in longer routes or delayed bus schedules; however, these adjustments are made to ensure students are transported safely and that buses remain within safe operating capacity.
To address vacancies, the district utilizes substitute drivers when available, and transportation administrators may temporarily operate routes in addition to their regular administrative responsibilities. In rare circumstances, routes may be combined or operated in waves when necessary to maintain transportation services.
The transportation budget reductions reflected in this year’s budget do not affect the district’s core responsibility of safely transporting students to and from school. Those reductions primarily impact maintenance and operational expenditures. While some non-critical maintenance projects or operational purchases may be delayed, student transportation services remain a district priority.
Judson ISD currently has several bus driver openings and encourages qualified community members to apply. Applicants must:
The district provides PAID CDL training, which typically takes approximately 45 days for individuals with no prior commercial driving experience. Starting pay for drivers with no experience is $18.18 per hour."
Cotton told KSAT Investigates she feels like she’s getting the runaround.
“We want something done about it,” she said. “I hope that our voices will be heard because our children do matter.”
Judson Independent School District
Cotton told KSAT Investigates she feels like she’s getting the runaround.
“We want something done about it,” she said. “I hope that our voices will be heard because our children do matter.”
Judson ISD’s board created a committee to hear parents’ concerns about routes that may be dangerous and to reevaluate them. Parents can submit a route by filling out this form.
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