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