Bus route changes leave parents upset - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Budget cuts have forced some school districts to make changes for the new school year, including changes to bus routes.  Now, some southwest Atlanta parents say they're upset that their children could be left in dangerous situations due to a lack of bus transportation. 

The issue centers around the proximity of their homes to their school.  Parents gathered outside Perkerson Elementary School on Monday said they have found that their students must use alternative transportation, or walk to school. 

A spokesperson for Atlanta Public Schools told FOX 5 that the system is adhering to rules that allow bus service only for students who live more than a mile from elementary schools, and a mile and a half from middle and high schools. 

"We are enforcing the one-mile walk zone for elementary school students.  Notices were sent to parents and posted on the district website," said APS spokesman Keith Bromery in a statement.  "We are a system of neighborhood schools, in fact we have nearly twice as many schools as Henry County, which has an enrollment similar to ours.  During the redistricting effort, parents let us know that they wanted to keep their neighborhood schools so that their children would be close to them."

The parents at Perkerson Elementary said a lack of sidewalks and traffic problems make a walk to school unsafe, and many of those parents lack personal vehicles.  One mother told FOX 5 some spots are so dangerous, she would refuse to walk there herself. 

APS has had to make difficult decisions this year to cut their budget to $30 million less than it was a year ago.