The bus stops here

Marissa Espino

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Huntington Beach City School District officials are

reinstating a Perry Elementary School bus stop at Chapel Lane and

Vallarta Drive, pleasing some parents and angering others.

Six parents of Perry and Moffett elementary school children urged the

board of trustees Sept. 7 to reinstate several bus routes eliminated last

year to reduce transportation costs.

“I will definitely be at the [next board] meeting on the 21st and throw

some fire out there,” said Don Hofeldt, whose 17-year-old son was hit by

a car three years ago while riding his bike in a crosswalk on his way to

Sowers Middle School. “This whole thing revolves around the safety of the

kids.”

Hofeldt has a daughter attending fifth grade at Moffett school, which had

a total of eight bus routes eliminated. The move required fourth- and

fifth-graders, who are bused across Magnolia Street to school, to walk

home.

“It’s causing a lot of people a real headache,” said Hofeldt, who has to

leave work in the middle of the day to pick up his daughter. “I won’t let

my fifth-grader walk home. It’s not a safe route.”

Perry, which originally had three bus stops eliminated, will offer the

bus stop on Chapel Lane and Vallarta Drive as early as the end of the

week.

Removing the bus stops prevented all students bound by Garfield Avenue on

the south, Ellis Avenue on the north, Beach Boulevard on the west, and

Newland Street on the east, from taking the bus.

The bus stop addition will allow all students to ride the bus to school

and only students in kindergarten through third grade to be transported

home.

“We looked at [the Chapel-Vallarta stop] and those distances are fairly

long for the younger students, and we had capacity on a bus that goes by

there,” Buchanan said.

Laurie Dana said she was happy to hear about the bus stop addition, even

though her fourth-grade son at Perry will have to walk home if she

doesn’t pick him up. Her second-grade daughter will get a bus ride home.

“It’s still going to be a little more convenient,” said Dana. “It takes

over a half hour of your day to pick up the kids.”