I encourage all members of the school community to endorse the universal busing petition for all Jericho students. If your first impression is to think of this as unnecessary or wasteful, I ask you to consider both facts and individual circumstances.

Our house is located just inside the 2,200-foot limit outlined in last year's transportation proposition and our children, ages 5 and 7, are two of the 195 Jericho elementary school students (6 percent) that are classified as "walkers" by the current transportation policy. The assumption inherent in the policy is that it is both safe and reasonable for my children to walk to and from school each day while safety issues compel the district to offer busing to my neighbor's children only a few houses away.

Let's examine this logic, starting with the weather. The temperature in November, December, January, February and March is uncomfortably cold for young "walkers," not to mention the numerous days of rain, wind and sometimes snow. The next relevant issue is safely crossing the street. The school district provides a crossing guard by the school, but not at the corner of Holly Lane and Hazelwood Drive where my children would have to cross a very busy street, particularly during the morning rush hour. Finally there is the issue of young children walking unsupervised to school under the best of weather and traffic conditions, making them the unsuspecting target of strangers.

Of course, my wife and I are responsible parents and do not allow our children to walk unattended to and from school at their present ages, under these circumstances and in our current societal climate. Instead they are driven by us or by carpool throughout the school year. It is this disconnect between common sense reality and school policy that should not be institutionalized by the district. Studies have shown that children are much safer on school buses than in passenger vehicles. If a carpool is a safe and an acceptable mode of student transportation in our community, then someone needs to explain why our tax dollars provide bus transportation for students a few houses, a few blocks, or a few miles away. Certainly distance is not the determining factor.

If it's not weather, and it's not distance and it's not safety, then the only other factor that could be part of this equation is money. However, the cost to bus the remaining 6 percent of elementary students comes to only $24 per year for the average Jericho homeowner. A reasonable cost-benefit analysis indicates that the safety and comfort of 6 percent of our community's children should not be compromised for a savings of $24.

We moved to Jericho 11 years ago to start a family and become a part of a wonderful community. We have been happy with that decision ever since, especially now that we have school-age children who attend an outstanding Jericho school. Let's resolve, at the May 15 school budget vote, to reach the same conclusion that residents in Syosset and Plainview did years ago. Let's ensure that all of Jericho's elementary school children are transported in the same safe manner to and from school every single day.

Marc Epstein

Jericho Resident