About 100 local residents attended the Aug. 17 meeting of the Roslyn Board of Education, where, not surprisingly, the school bus pick-up issue dominated the agenda.

The BOE allowed for two, 30-minute sessions for parents to state their concerns and questions to the board.

In question is a recently-adopted school district policy, one in which school buses will no longer pick up students grades 1-5 in front of their houses. Instead, those students will assemble at designated corner bus stops to catch the morning bus. Kindergarten practices will remain the same.

Interim Superintendent Gerald W. Dempsey announced the new policy in an Aug. 7 letter, one addressed to school district residents. The move, the superintendent said, was designed to bring greater consistency and cost efficiency to the district's busing operation.

He added that it would save Roslyn taxpayers $125,000 in the 2006-2007 fiscal year. The district, Dempsey said, plans to mail bus stop assignments to local households in the coming weeks.

Parent concerns center around safety and the arrangement of residential areas in Roslyn. Those concerns were voiced consistently at the meeting.

For his part, Dempsey agreed that no resolution on the issue was reached. BOE members expressed their own concern about the policy, and promised to continue a dialogue on the issue at future meetings. At the meeting, it was also announced that school district bus drivers have been given the responsibility to drive the routes in advance and evaluate the safety prospects of each corner bus stop.

Dempsey added that the BOE would consider designating alternate locations for any busing pick-ups, including having some at "mid block" stops. "We will deal with individual safety concerns if there is a need [to]," the superintendent told The Roslyn News, adding that in some cases, such a need already exists.

According to local residents who attended the meeting, there was frustration among some parents, namely because the policy will be in place by the time the next school board meeting takes place on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Another major issue for school district parents is the lack of sidewalks in local residential neighborhoods. Without a sidewalk, youngsters will have to walk on their neighbor's lawn, which remains a sticking point to some residents. There is also the matter of walking to bus stops during high snowfalls. Most importantly, there is possibility of young people walking on streets where passing cars may reach speeds as high as 30 MPH.

And so, for most parents it all comes back to the safety issue. At the meeting, parents made it clear that there was no inconvience in the new policy, just safety concerns. In addition, school district parents claimed that the cost factor---it has been estimated that the new policy would save the average household $6.00 per year---is nothing compared to safety.

Finally, a local attorney warned of expensive lawsuits and more bad publicity if just "one child" is injured due to the new policy