ENFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATION
ENFIELD, CONNECTICUT TRANSPORTATION APPEALS The duty of transporting public school children is placed by statute in the hands of local Boards of Education. While there is no exact distance established by law in our state as to how far a child must walk to school or to a school bus line, the State Board of Education has consistently found that elementary children between the ages of six and sixteen years should not be expected to walk more than one and one-half miles to school or to a school bus line and secondary students( junior and senior high school students) under sixteen years of age should not be expected to walk more than two miles to such points. In situations involving hazardous conditions, the State Board of Education takes into consideration such factors as the type of hazard present, the length of time children are exposed to the hazard, the number and ages of the children involved. Section 10-186, 1958 Revision of the General Statutes, establishes procedures which parents may use when they believe that the local board of education is failing to provide reasonable and necessary transportation for their children. In general, this section of the statutes provides that:
1. Any parent or guardian of a child who is over six and under sixteen years of 264 age may petition the local board of education in writing for a hearing concerning the transportation of his or her own child or children.( It is recommended that such a petition be sent to the secretary of the local board of education by registered mail with a return receipt requested so that the parent is informed as to when the petition was received).
1. The local board of education is required to give a petitioning parent or 271 guardian a hearing within ten days from receipt of the written petition.
1. The local board of education is required to make a finding within ten days 274 after it holds the hearing noted in item 2 above.
1. If a local board of education fails to give a hearing or fails to make a finding 277 within ten days after holding such hearing, or is any parent or guardian is aggrieved by the decision of the local board, he may then appeal in writing to the State Board of Education for a hearing.( Group appeals or petitions are not acceptable for State Board of Education purposes; a separate petition of appeal must be filed for each family. Such petitions may be for any number of children within one family who are between six and sixteen years of age.)
1. Upon receipt of a petition of appeal, the State Board of Education will cause 285 a hearing to be held by its hearing agent in the town in which the complaint arises.( Each case is decided on its own merit. However, a number of appeals may be heard at anyone hearing.) The report of the hearing is made
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