CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A high school sophomore who depends on the school bus to get him home said he has been told his stop is going away.
At issue, the location of the new Mary Carroll High School.
The student is no longer eligible to ride the bus because he now lives within a two mile radius of the school.
His parents are bringing up big concerns and he is not the only student this is happening to.
Finding transportation is the last thing the student thought he would have to worry about. His parents said they have been told there is no other option to ride a different bus.
It may be the first week of school, but it's the last time Vaan Yarbro will be stepping off the bus.
"I don't like it, it's to far, I cant just walk over there," Yarbro said.
"It's the only way to come back and to school because they are not dropping off here anymore," Yabro said.
The 15-year-old was looking forward to his sophomore year at the new Mary Carroll High School campus. However, all that changed when he was told he lives to close.
"Because it's less than two miles," Dan Stiefel said.
His bus stop is about a mile-and-a-half away from the new school at Wapentate and Aaron Drive.
"They didn't send any notice to parents and just started telling the kids they will have to figure out their own way to school and home," said Yabro's step-dad Dan Stiefel.
He said when they signed Yabro up to attend the new school, the bus stop was advertised as staying in the same spot.
"We both work so we are going to have to figure something out, he's too young for a drivers license," Stiefel said.
Most likely Yabro will have to walk the distance, but his parents are far from happy about it.
"Walking down a state highway crossing two major streets," Stiefel said.
3NEWS analyzed just how far he would have to walk to get to school. After leaving Carroll, Yabro will first cross a busy Saratoga Blvd. After 20 minutes down Saratoga, he'll walk through the the neighborhood of Grant Middle School.
It will take over 40 minutes just to get to his neighborhood.
A spokesperson for CCISD sent 3NEWS the following statement,
While CCISD continually assesses locations, areas that contain sidewalks, crosswalks at major intersections, and controlled traffic signals along the walking path are generally ineligible for exceptions.
In order to plan routes, including ensuring sufficient seats, the district requires riders to use their assigned stop.
As is the case across the state and nation, CCISD continues to experience a driver shortage. The district is seeking about 40 drivers. We are pleased to continue service and we are providing service for all eligible riders. In this situation, the stop was changed due to Mary Carroll High School’s new location. Due to this route being at capacity, we are not able to permit riders who did not meet the eligibility requirements to continue riding.