In a recent post, I was telling you that we had received a notification from my kids' school, saying that they wouldn't be bused to school again, because we were outside of the transportation boundaries.
I called the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, because no matter which method I used (car, Google Maps, MS Mappoint), the school was exactly 1.6 Km away from my driveway. The person I was talking to explained to me that the rule measures the distance between the driveway and the place where the school property begins. Since there's a walkway at the back of the school that connects to Auburn Dr, they were using that spot. And of course, the distance was then 1.4 Km. I asked about a paragraph that says "all transportation measurements are subject to reasonable flexibility beyond the guidelines", but the lady explained to me -very politely- that it wouldn't apply to us. I then asked if I could speak with her manager, making sure she understood I had no issues with the way she had taken care of my concern.
I then spoke with a gentleman named Fred, to whom I exposed my case again. I have four kids, ages 3 to 12, which would have to walk 3.2 kilometres almost every day, because we only have one car. The conversation was heading in the same direction as my previous one, when I suddenly remembered I had an extra ace in my deck: our street, Woolwich St, doesn't have a sidewalk! Our kids would have to walk in the middle of the road for at least 100 metres until they could get to a safer street. Fred promised he would look further into this and call me back.
And he did, saying that he had come over this morning to take a look at the street. He verified that the only piece of existing sidewalk is the one that connects my driveway to the place were the bus stop is. He judged the street unsafe for my kids to walk and said that he would notify the school so my kids would be bused again, probably as early as this Friday.
I'm very happy. Not only for having 'won my case' and having gotten the kids back on the bus, where they belong, but also for realizing that there are people like Fred who are willing to go the extra mile in order to serve us better.
Thank you, Fred!
I'm so happy for you! It just seemed so silly to me. It seems that the powers that be assume that everyone has two vehicles, and or disposable income to deal with stuff like this. We have no car, and Jessica has been taking the city bus since she was in grade 6. We moved out of the area, so it was our choice. Still, it is a huge expense for us each month. I don't know what I would do if I had 4 kids to get off every morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm so relieved that it all worked out. Isn't it nice to feel like a PERSON and not just a number, or a 'problem' to someone?
Congrats buddy... and Chapeau for Fred! Awesome person!
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