Jeff said she got nowhere with the school superintendent so she went to the newspapers. It doesn't come across as a fluff piece, IMO. I'd be mad too ...

The first on and last off the school bus - Examiner, 11/13/08:

Natalie Kelly has to wake her third-grader up at 6:25 a.m. each weekday to be out the door by 7 a.m. to catch the school bus.

Kelly's third-grader and neighbor Julie Lee's third-grader typically board the school bus at 7:10-7:15 a.m. each morning, but must be outside waiting along Rocky Brook Road at least 10 minutes in advance as per school district guidelines.

The elementary school-aged children wait for the bus during daybreak and often leave their homes when it's still dark out, which is a concern for their families.

Kelly also noted that if her third-grader misses the school bus, the family has to wait 45 minutes before dropping her off at the school. The actual distance from Rocky Brook Road to the elementary school on Millstone Road is 5.4 miles.

"Truthfully, I have been driving her," Kelly said, adding that the busing concerns have resulted in four of the seven elementary school children on Rocky Brook Road being driven to school by their parents instead of taking the bus.

I prefer the consistent school start and end times at my sons' schools to the annual shuffling that Millstone has done. Lots of Millstone parents drive their children to school because it's just five miles away, takes ten minutes. Why should they spend an hour on the bus each day?