Parents have faced many decisions when it comes to sending their kids back to school, but another big decision they must make is whether their child will ride the bus or not.
>>Back to School: Beavercreek sees sharp drop for in-person learning preference
“It was tough,” Hellen Hollingsworth said about having her daughter, a first grader, ride the bus. “We did a lot of research with the schools. I had a lot of questions of how they are going to social distance and cleaning. Things like that.”
News Center 7′s Kayla Courvell spoke with several parents in all different school districts who had differing opinions.
Hollingsworth’s daughter went back to Meadowlakes School in Indiana on Wednesday. Hollingsworth said everything is going well so far.
Lori Combs has two daughters, a fourth grader and sixth grader, who will start at Brookville Local Schools next week. Her family decided to have their children ride the bus.
>>Online or in-class: What area school districts are doing
“We just thought it was easier,” Combs said. “We don’t have an issue with it. They have to wear masks on the bus, so they will have their masks on when they get on. They have to sit together since they are siblings in the same home.”
Brookville, like Kettering City Schools, released new procedures for the bus which include sanitizing after each route, making masks mandatory and only allowing kids from the same household to sit together in a seat.
Kimberly Snyder said her daughter will not be riding the bus when she returns to Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools.
>>Back to School: Local school districts invest hundreds of thousands into new sanitization technology
“There is just so much that is still unknown,” Snyder said. “I work in healthcare and wanted to take extra precautions that I could in making sure our daughter was safe. There is only so much cleaning [and] social distancing that can be done when kids are on the bus.”
“If parents don’t feel that that is in the best interest for them and their children, then I completely support that decision,” Combs said. “It has to really be their own decision, but I feel they’ve gone over and above what they need to do.”