As a student at Alexandria City High School, I am writing in response to Julia Gwin’s article titled “Transportation Issues Plague School Year.” While I agree with the viewpoint that ACHS’s current transportation system does have a couple of problems, I believe busing students between campuses provides more benefits than issues. 

Although some staff and students argue that the buses make students late to class, make two hour delays impossible and disrupt teachers’ plans, they are a much better alternative to walking. They allow for much safer transportation between the two campuses and make it more difficult for students to skip class.

Busing is a better transportation system than walking because it is more safe. One of the reasons that walking between campuses is dangerous is because there is a crowded intersection near King St. that students have to walk through. This not only makes traffic worse, but it puts the students at risk of being hit by a car. With all of these dangers, it would be better for students to just deal with the buses and the problems that come with them. 

Another reason that buses are a better transportation option is because walking makes it too easy for students to skip class. As students walk for more than a half-mile between campuses, it is very easy to leave campus. Plus, because of that distance the school cannot place security guards or school staff to make sure nobody leaves. As a senior, I have seen many people skip classes or find a way to leave the building without permission. Walking just makes this way easier. If students skip classes. If students are forced to take the buses, this is much less of a problem, boosting attendance.

In conclusion, it is better if students take buses while switching campuses because it is safer and gives students less opportunity to skip class. I ask that the school keeps the no-walking policy.

-Dylan Reed

Read a letter to the editor from an alternate viewpoint here. Read Theogony’s latest coverage of intercampus transportation here.