Putting their kids on a school bus this year is a difficult decision for some SWFL parents

With the start of school just weeks away many parents are still agonizing over whether or not to put your child on that school bus.

“Being in an open-air classroom is one thing but being in a closed sardine can of a school bus is different,” said Donna Ott, a mom who is opposed to her son riding the bus to school.

She says riding the school bus already has challenges for students, but adding a pandemic into the mix is not something she is willing to let her son take a risk on.

“I’m uncomfortable with him riding the bus because who knows if they keep the mask on if the kids are coming on the bus asymptomatic, I’ve got an elderly mother, she’s 73,” Ott said.

Ott says it’s important for her son, who will be a junior at Golden Gate high school to be in class to secure scholarships. So sacrificing her normal schedule to make sure he gets there while social distancing was an easy choice to make.

“It’s only going to put me about 10 or 15 minutes late for work in the morning, but I have the opportunity to stay later because the owner where I work is a small business and I can always stay later to make up those 10 to 15 minutes,” Ott said.

Lissette Colon is a mom in Lee County and she doesn’t have the option of going to work later, so she’s letting her daughter Leila ride the bus to school to start her freshman year.

“We have prepared her at the moment, she has her mask she has her hand sanitizer,” Colon said.

However, she still has her concerns.

“I’m not going to be ignorant, there is a possibility that she can catch it. That’s always in the back of my mind because every year she goes to school she always gets sick the first week of school, she gets sick with a fever and strep throat.

But Colon says she’s staying positive.

“My faith has got me through this whole situation. I believe I have my trust. I believe that we will be okay and that we will overcome this,” Colon said.

Putting your child on the bus is going to be extra stressful this year, but don’t forget you can monitor their bus throughout the day on the ‘Where’s The Bus’ app. To install the app and for more information on how to use the app click on the link HERE.