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7th grade student receives bus pass after eligibility dispute
FOX 29's Bruce Gordon has more on a middle school student who was denied eligibility to ride the bus due to strict zoning rules.
LAWNDALE - The mother of a seventh grade middle school student can rest assured that her son is getting to class safely after she was locked in a frustrating dispute with the school district over bus pass eligibility.
The Philadelphia School Board says that students who live at least 1.5 miles away from the school are eligible for a SEPTA transpass to ride the bus, meaning anyone within the 1.5 miles is required to walk or find another means to transportation.
Hilary Showmaker and her son, Riley, live on the 800 block of Hellerman Street. Woodrow Wilson Middle School is located on the 1800 block of Cottman Avenue. According to the school's measuring tool, Compass, Riley lives 1.49 miles away, or, a half hour walk from the building.
The district website encourages parents to verify the Compass distance by using Google Maps, but the Google results showed that Riley's home is over 1.5 miles away from the school.
After several appeals and a PennDOT investigation, the district was slow to budge on their strict eligibility rules.
FOX 29's Bruce Gordon reached out to contact at the school district regarding the dispute. While visiting the Riley's home, the contact got back to Gordon with some great news.
"The department is aware of this, the student is getting a transpass," the source said.
With school set to start on Tuesday, Riley will enter the new academic year with the free and safe transportation to the Woodrow Wilson Middle School.