The Amagansett School District will officially add a new bus stop at the Gansett Meadow housing complex starting in September after at least 25 local residents signed a petition that led the district to analyze student safety in that area.
The petition, submitted in February, pointed out the need for either a new bus stop or a crossing guard in front of the Amagansett I.G.A., the closest pedestrian crossing for those who live at Gansett Meadow, which falls within the district's "walk to school" zone. Seth Turner, the district superintendent, said Monday that a transportation specialist from the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services was then called in to examine the logistics.
The crossing guard "was more costly to have than to stop a bus" at Gansett Meadow, Mr. Turner said. "It was deemed easiest and least costly to add a stop."
The school board approved the new stop at its April 27 meeting by declaring Gansett Meadow a "child safety zone." According to board records, adding the stop will cost approximately $220 more per school year.