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THE OAKVILLE BEAVER W ednesday Novem ber 10, 1999 JT lrts & Craft Sale S c h o o l b o a rd e n d a n g e rin g s tu d e n ts say p a re n ts Parents of some students attending Montclair School, complain that the 3.2 km. walk puts their children in danger from traf fic and strangers mm By Sandra Omand SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Saturday, I November 13th, 10a.m.-3p.m. J% ky Jjrne Public School 1160 Old J3bky Jjm , Oakville ADMISSION IS FREE Imrootn m ilable for your enjoyment Parents in a north Oakville neigh bourhood say the public school board is endangering the lives of their children by using them to fill half empty schools in Halton's older areas. "I live in fear every day when I send my child off to school," said Catherine Wathen, a stay-at-home mother of four whose 11 year-old daughter walks 3.2 km to Montclair (Grades 6-8) public school. Children in the lower grades are bussed to schools outside their neigh bourhoods. Day-in, day-out, Wathen's daughter, and other neighbourhood children rang ing in age from 10 to 13, have to cross the four lanes of Upper Middle Road at Oakmead, where the parents say it is not uncommon to have cars traveling in excess of 90 km/hour. "It takes forever for the light to change in their favour and when it does they have to run like heck," said Wathen. The children -- against the advice of the school board -- then cut through the Sheridan College campus and an isolated tract of woods - recently the site of vio- lent sexual assaults - in an attempt to and directly towards the children's edu shorten the lengthy walk from their cation." homes to school. "We are keeping old schools open in Ilona McCoppen, whose 11 year-old mature areas that are under equipped and daughter walks 3 km to school, said it is under utilized and adding portables to not the long walk that concerns parents, these schools to bus children from the but rather the potential dangers posed by newer neighbourhoods," added Davies. speeding traffic and violent offenders. When Davies and Lopez-Pacheco Fueling parental concern was a recent expressed their concerns over the chil letter sent home from the school warning dren's safety at an October public school about a sexual predator who had com board meeting, they left feeling angry mitted frightening sexual assaults near and frustrated. Sheridan College - the route their chil Trustee Debbie Marklew response dren take to school each day. Although was that the children should not be going the police quickly apprehended the through the woods as it is not the board offender, incidents like this have approved route (the "approved" route occurred in the area in the past and par crosses Upper Middle, east to Trafalgar, ents are worried they could happen south to McCraney, then west to again. Montclair). "This year, last year and the year Davies, however, pointed out that before. Every year we hear about sexual when faced with a long walk it is natural predators in and around this area," said to seek the shorter distance. Marsha Davies who is concerned about Wathen said for her child to follow what will happen when her children, now the board's route she would have to leave 5 and 8, attend Montclair. the house at 7:20 a.m., as it is she leaves In previous years there were extra at 7:40 a.m. to get to school by 8:15 a.m.. seats on the bus that allowed the children, "When they leave in the morning dur who were within the 3.2 km walking ing the winter it is dark," said Wathen. limit set by the board, to be bused but When contacted by the Beaver, with the rapid growth in the area the Marklew agreed 3.2 km is a long walk buses are now filled to capacity. but stood firm on her view that it is the Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco who has parents' responsibility to ensure the chil three children ages 15,8 and 6, said there dren do not cut through the woods. is no room on the bus because the board She also added that she has, in fact, has to bus a huge proportion of Halton's tried "very hard" to find a solution to the student body "because they haven't built problem. schools where the majority of the kids "I had it (the walking limit) reduced live." to 1.6 km to come in line with the "If children could walk to local Catholic board but when it came to schools busing costs would be reduced," implement it the cost was too high for the said Lopez-Pacheco. 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TOW N CENTER ORTHODONTICS 243 N orth S erv ice R oad , W est S u ite 301, O ak ville (905) 849-1717 at our Oakville location O O A K V IL L E B e A P a rt o f H is to r y ! 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 ALL DRESSES P I.- · tm m m The Town of O akville is participating in a new initiative entitled RELAY 2 0 0 0 to officially open the Trans C anada Trail. This event which will be known as the world's longest relay, has participants carrying waters from the three great oceans bordering Canada. In O akville, 18 water carriers are required to walk, run o r wheel their way along a designated route, approximately 1 kilometre, to pass along a knapsack of history to our friends in the neighbouring municipality. It all happens on August 22, 2 0 0 0 ! ·* THE LOWEST TICKETED PRICE In te r e s te d in p a rticip a tin g ? Selection of water carriers is through a lottery system from applicants meeting the December 3, 1999 deadline. Applications and complete Relay 2 0 0 0 details are available from the Parks and Recreation Department located at the municipal offices, 1225 Trafalgar Road. The vision fo r a national, shared-use tra il began in 1992 with the form ation o f the Trans C anada Trail Foundation. C ouncils have been fo rm e d across the country w orking with m unicipalities a n d volunteer groups to b u ild this com m unity linking trail. 4 4)ays Only NOVEMBER 11th - 14th, 1999 Sises 4 -1 6 for women 5'4" and under OAKVILLE 1225 TRAFALGAR R O A D · O A K V IL LE , O N T A R IO · L6| 5A6