WEST DEER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Some parents in the Deer Lakes School District are raising concerns about a new school bus stop location that they say puts students at risk.
Melodi Zalus, a parent of two high school students, said she’s been frustrated by what she describes as a lack of concern from the school district after the stop for her children’s bus route was moved.
“We got notification that the bus stop would be changing from what it had been for the past 18 years, which wasn’t an issue,” Zalus said.
The new stop, located at the intersection of Ford and Liberty streets in West Deer Township, is what has Zalus worried.
“The intersection that they moved to is directly in front of a Megan’s Law offender’s house, and she has to walk past a second Megan’s Law offender’s house to get to the bus stop,” she said.
Channel 11 confirmed that two registered sex offenders live on the street where the new stop is located.
Zalus said she contacted the district with safety concerns and requested that the stop be moved either back to its original location or somewhere else nearby.
She shared copies of her communication with the school, in which district officials offered an alternate stop — but one Zalus said still requires her children to walk near the same intersection.
“Honest to goodness, when we contacted the school, we thought their response would be, ‘Oh my gosh, it was an oversight, we didn’t realize where we had placed the stop, we’ll move it,’” she said.
When Channel 11 reached out to the Deer Lakes School District, a spokesperson responded with a written statement, saying:
“The first priority of Deer Lakes School District is always student safety and security. The District transports about 1,700 students and must do it in a safe and efficient manner. Each year, the District receives hundreds of requests to move bus stops based on a variety of reasons, including parent and student work schedules, marital situations, walking distance, bus stop visibility from homes and more.
These reasons, although a concern for parents, cannot always be accommodated. The current bus stops were determined based on considerations of both safety, efficiency and the Pennsylvania School Code. Bus stops, many of which are not near sidewalks due to the rural makeup of the District, may change from year to year and vary from elementary to secondary schools. The District encourages parents and guardians to determine the safest forms of transportation to and from school campuses and to and from bus stops.
In this particular instance, three alternatives have been offered but the District’s additional options have been declined."
A nearby resident, whose children also ride a bus, said the roads suggested by the district may not be safe for walking.
“We usually feel like with traffic and people who’ve lived around here for years, they have no regard for how fast they’re going,” the neighbor said.
Until the issue is resolved, Zalus said she now drives her children to the bus stop each morning and waits with them until the bus arrives.
A Deer Lakes School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Zalus said she has been in contact with board members and plans to attend the meeting to discuss her concerns in more detail.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
