Students and staff at Broken Arrow Public Schools headed back to class Thursday, starting new bus routes and class schedules.
This year, parents are having to adjust to the aftermath of budget cuts, including changing bus stops.
One parent, Amber Mathurin, says she has four kids in four different schools.
“It’s tough and I know it's tough for parents who have to be at work at 8 a.m.”
Mathurin, like most parents, is having to drive to more stops in order for her kids to catch the bus.
“It went from fifteen stops to five stops in that neighborhood,” she said. “Luckily, I have a husband.”
Broken Arrow Public Schools slashed their bus routes by twenty percent by cutting out bus stops within a mile and a half of each school.
“Still does not mean we're not providing stops. So, if they want to walk out to bus stops they're welcome to do that,” said Broken Arrow Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall.
In addition to the bus route changes, only six crossing guards were provided for the entire district, leaving many crosswalks unmanned.
Now, police are stepping up and keeping an eye on cars during drop off and pick up hours.
“That’s why we try to keep a heavy presence here,” said BAPD Officer Josh Mathews. “The amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic and they're all focused on doing something else besides actually driving.”
As more people get acclimated, Mathurin is confident the chaos will soon smooth its way out.
Creekwood Elementary got a brand new crosswalk this week.The district says they are working with the city to build even more at several locations throughout town.
