BERLIN, NY (WRGB) – A school bus stop has been relocated after concerns were raised about its alleged proximity to the residence of a registered sex offender.
This week we presented to you the concerns of parents in the Berlin-Mitte school district regarding the changes to the bus routes.
One mother told us she would lose her job because her children would be picked up and dropped off at different times and the stop would be moved a quarter mile away from her house.
As we reported, the school board and the interim principal explain the route restructuring with a shortage of bus drivers following the retirement of three drivers.
The mother we spoke to is not the only mother who is unhappy with the changes that will come into effect at the start of the school year.
Several other parents spoke at a school board meeting on Tuesday evening.
It is important to note that under state education guidelines, elementary students are allowed a bus stop up to one mile from their home. Middle and high school students are allowed a stop two miles away.
However, one mother told the school board that her son’s new station would be very close to a registered sex offender:
“My son, who is 14 and looks more like a 12-year-old, gets on the bus. His bus stop around the corner from my house is actually the house of a pedophile. I obviously don’t feel comfortable with that,” the mother said at the school board meeting.
Wednesday night, we brought these concerns to Interim Superintendent Dr. Maureen Long, who told us, “This was information we were not aware of. I reached out to our School Resource Officer and the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department today (Wednesday) to see if I can get any more information or confirmation. And if that’s the case, we will definitely re-evaluate this stop.”
We have learned that since we reported on this part of the bus route situation, the stop has been moved further away from the house the mother was concerned about.
The district is still working to confirm the veracity of allegations that a sex offender was near the original stop. However, a search of the state’s sex offender database revealed that a sex offender lives in the Berlin zip code area.
“Crisis in the Classroom” is a weekly segment where CBS 6 examines issues facing educators, students and families. Send tips to our team via email or call (518) 288-6034.
