MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Some Clay County parents are unsure if a temporary bus route will run beyond the upcoming school year after the district told them they didn’t find a hazard on the route.
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Randall Crawford, director of transportation for the district sent an email to a parent who lives in the Azalea Ridge Subdivision stating it will create a bus stop for students who attend Middleburg High School.
Ms. Johnson,
I would like to inform you that we have completed our review of the hazard request pertaining to the Azalea Ridge subdivision area. While the area does not meet the state’s defined criteria for a genuine hazard, we shall classify the students residing within a 2-mile radius as courtesy riders for the 2025-2026 academic year.
A bus stop will be established at the amenity/community center for all students within the subdivision. Following the proper routing of the students, parents will have the opportunity to access the relevant information through the ChipMunk application.
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Randall Crawford, director of transportation
It came after a parent found out their child was ineligible for a ride to the school because they lived within a two-mile radius of it.
So they fought that newly enforced policy, including parent Bradley Free. He has a son who’s a junior at the high school.
“I mean I feel a little relieved but what’s the future going to be like if it’s not a hazard,” Free said.
The reason he mentioned the word “hazard” and was concerned about the future of the stop, is because of what the email Crawford sent to a parent stated.
“While the area does not meet the state’s defined criteria for a genuine hazard, we shall classify the students residing within a 2-mile radius as courtesy riders for the 2025-2026 academic school year.”
Here is a link to the state’s criteria for Hazardous Walking sites.
One of the state’s criteria asks, “Is there an area at least four feet wide with a ”surface upon which students may walk” that prevents the students from having to walk on the road?
News4JAX tested the criteria by starting in the subdivision where there is a sidewalk, but on CCR 220 East, the sidewalk ends.
And students who would’ve had to walk the road in the Azalea Ridge subdivision would be walking on the grass and close to drivers.
“It’s 100% a disaster down there,” Free said. “Anybody can go down there and see it’s just a disaster waiting to happen...so to have kids walking to school every morning, not a good idea.”
In an email the superintendent sent to one of the parents, shared with News4JAX, he listed the reason for the increase in the walk-in distance to two miles because of funding challenges, and bus driver shortages and bus availability.
...The decision to increase the walk-in distance from 1.5 miles to 2.0 miles was made after careful consideration of several pressing factors, including district-wide funding challenges, ongoing bus driver shortages, and overall bus availability. This was a difficult decision and we want to assure you that student safety remains our highest priority...
David Broskie, Superintendent of Schools
It’s why Free and other parents in the neighborhood are concerned the bus for this school year is a temporary fix, especially if the area to walk to school isn’t a hazard as outlined in the districts email.
News4JAX reached out to the school district asking what’s going to happen after the upcoming school year and is waiting for a response.
