Skip to main content

To: St Johns County School District and the Director of Transportation Mr. Alfred A. Pantano

Reinstate Bus Service for St Johns Forest Community to Liberty Pines Academy (LPA)

Due to the "two-mile rule" in Florida, half of the residents of St Johns Forest Community in St Johns, Florida, have lost bus service to Liberty Pines Academy (LPA) located on Russell Sampson Road in St Johns County, Florida. Students walking to school from St Johns Forest Community must exit through the "back gate" of the neighborhood at North Arabella Road and St Johns Parkway, walk along St Johns Parkway and Florida State Road 9B, before crossing to Russell Sampson Road. St Johns Parkway and Florida State Road 9B are extremely dangerous with little to no protection for students walking to school.

LPA educates students from kindergarten through 8th grade. This walking path is unsafe for both elementary and middle school age students. Residents have advocated to have buses reinstated since buses were revoked in 2018 with many news articles published since then on the matter.

Please sign this petition to bring buses back to the residents of St Johns Forest Community. 

Why is this important?

Please sign this petition to bring buses back to the residents of St Johns Forest Community. Officials need to understand that this school walk is too dangerous for children to traverse and families need support for children to and from school. Transportation must be provided before a child is critically injured.

Updates

2024-09-03 09:07:21 -0400

Link to TikTok photo slide show about this issue: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8JYjxJR/

2024-09-02 20:38:04 -0400

Representative Berny Jacques response to the issue: "Kimberly, thank you for reaching out to me on this. I would recommend that you reach out to your state representative on this as well. Berny"
Link to screenshot of email response: https://photos.app.goo.gl/36scSnGKaHPTPDE99
Link to Representative Berny Jacques, District 59, webpage: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4886

2024-09-02 20:32:36 -0400

Kim Kendall response to the issue: "Several of us worked with Henry Dean on this issue to get the kids back safely on the school bus and then the school district worked with the state to get the sidewalk pushed over and thought that would be a solution. I’ve been keeping an eye on it and in light of again another crash on the median While the kids were biking back home I am focused on making this one of my six bills to address students walking along as side of an interstate ramp … it should be in Florida statute that they are required to be on a bus …so my office will be doing everything we can to address this! Kim Kendall"
Link to screenshot of email response: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QDrhMsEEHUibHd3k9
Campaigning for District 18

2024-09-02 19:20:38 -0400

100 signatures reached

2024-09-02 17:10:43 -0400

50 signatures reached

2024-09-02 16:40:30 -0400

St Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean response to the issue: "Kimber, Thx for your email. I agree with you. Safety of our children is our number one priority. I will do all I can to reinstate bus service for this stretch of 9B. Best, Henry"
Link to screenshot of email response: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fgsmo366ceAuk3A47
Link to Henry Dean, District 5, webpage: https://www.sjcfl.us/bcc-district-5/

2024-09-02 16:24:59 -0400

25 signatures reached

2024-09-02 16:03:27 -0400

10 signatures reached