School Buses Start Refusing Rides To Jeffco Students Who Haven't Paid
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Hundreds of students in Jefferson County can no longer ride on their school buses.
They are being told that they get no more rides until their parents pay the required fees.
This is the first year the financially strapped Jeffco Public Schools district has charged for bus service, and children are now paying the price for parents who don't comply.
The district gave bus drivers lists, telling them which students owe money, and if they haven't paid they can't get on. This was after letters were sent home to parents warning them about late payments.
One mother, Beniccia Bedore, said her son's letter was in his backpack and that she never got it.
"I am very upset. It's very frustrating to have a child left behind," she said. "We have the No Child Left Behind Act. What are we doing with these kids and not giving them notices to the parents and leaving them behind?"
There are approximately 300 or 400 families who got warnings.
"At this point most of them have chosen not to ride the bus further," said Jeffco Schools Transportation spokesman Dick Cervera. "Maybe 10 percent of those parents did come in and pay."
The current bus fee will increase from $100 to $150 next school year.
