The following locations have been determined to have hazardous walking conditions for students residing less than two miles from school:
- Douglas Street from Beier Drive to E. Fond du Lac Street for K-12
- Jackson Street from Stanton Street to Douglas Street for K-5
- Fenton Street from the railroad tracks to Douglas Street for K-5
- E. Fond du Lac Street from Harvey Street to Douglas Street including Harvey Street and Sunrise Terrace south of E. Fond du Lac Street with a cluster site at E. Fond du Lac/Harvey for K-5
- Union Street south of Thorne Street to County Road E to include Skyline Circle, Southwoods Court, Skyline Road, Doty Drive, and Griswold Street south from Skyline Road to Union Street with a cluster site at Union/Hillside for K-12
- Liberty Street west of Union Street from bridge over the creek up through Combe Street and up Dartford Road with a cluster site at Coombe/Stoney Ridge for K-12
- W. Fond du Lac Street west of K-Mart/Royal Ridges intersection for K-12
- North Union Street from Oshkosh Street to Cass Street and out Old Berlin Road with cluster site at Cambridge/Union intersection for students north of that intersection for K-12
- Cluster site at Oshkosh Street/Vermont Street for area north of Oshkosh Street/Vermont Street and east of the tracks for K-8
- For all other city students living south of Fond du Lac Street who attend Murray Park Elementary School, crossing Hwy 23 is considered hazardous and transportation will be provided via a shuttle from Ceresco Park or Barlow Park Elementary School for K-5
- For all other city students living north of Fond du Lac Street who attend Barlow Park Elementary School, crossing Hwy 23 is considered hazardous and transportation will be provided via a shuttle from Murray Park Elementary School for K-5
- For all other city students living south and east of Hwy 44 in the former Alice Callan Elementary School vicinity, crossing Hwy 44 is considered Hazardous and transportation will be provided via a shuttle from the Corner of Hall/Spaulding for K-5
- Douglas Street south of Highway 23 to include Scandi Street, Angle Street, Penny Lane with a cluster site at Angle/Penny for K-12
- Hall Street from Stanton Street to Douglas Street for K-5
- For all city students living in the area from the south side of Oshkosh Street to Hall Street between Stanton Street and Vermont Street for K-5
The hazardous transportation plan information below is quoted directly the Wisconsin DPI’s webpage titled “Transportation to Public Schools: Unusually Hazardous Transportation” (2019) available on the DPI website.
According to Wisconsin law, a pupil attending a public elementary or secondary school, including kindergarten, is entitled to transportation by the public school district in which the pupil resides if the pupil resides two or more miles from the nearest public school the pupil is entitled to attend. A pupil who attends a private school and meets certain other eligibility requirements is also entitled to transportation if the private school is located two or more miles from the pupil's residence. Generally, pupils who live within two miles of the public or private school they attend are not automatically entitled to transportation under state law. In school districts that have chosen to invoke the "city option", even those students who live two miles or more from school may not automatically be entitled to receive transportation services.
However, due to unusually hazardous conditions in certain areas, a school district may deem it necessary to provide transportation to some children residing less than two miles from their school. An "unusual hazard" is an existing transportation condition that constitutes more than an ordinary hazard and seriously jeopardizes the safety of pupils traveling to and from school. It is understood that all traffic situations through which pupils must travel present some degree of hazard, which is often dependent on the age of the pupils involved. When such hazards reach a level of danger which is unacceptable to the community in which they exist and which cannot be corrected by other local units of government, a school board may develop a plan to designate such an area as unusually hazardous. School districts that do not transport students who live two miles or more from school, as authorized under the city option, may also designate areas as unusually hazardous. In such cases, the distance between an affected student's home and school may be greater than two miles.
S. 121.54 (9)(a), Wis. Stats., establishes the procedures to be followed in the development of an unusually hazardous transportation (UHT) plan. Sections 121.54(9)(am) and (b), Wis. Stats., specify the procedures to be followed by an individual who is aggrieved by a school board's UHT plan or the lack of a plan.
Unusually Hazardous Transportation Plan Development
Development of an unusually hazardous transportation plan requires a school district to include a map and explanation of the area to be designated. In addition, a district shall also propose a plan of transportation, which provides proper safeguards for pupils residing in that area, if necessary. Upon approval of the plan, the district shall file it with the sheriff of the county in which the main office of the district is located. The local county sheriff is required to review the district's plan (and may suggest revisions), investigate the designated area and make a determination as to whether unusual hazards exist which cannot be corrected by local government. Upon completion of this review, the sheriff shall report the findings in writing to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the school board concerned. State law requires that within 60, but not less than 30, days from the day on which the State Superintendent receives the plan, the State Superintendent is required to review the plan to determine whether unusual hazards to pupil travel exist and whether it provides proper safeguards for such pupils. If the State Superintendent approves the district's plan, the district shall put the plan into effect and be eligible for state aid for any transportation of pupils (up to $15 per pupil per year) in the affected area.
Suggested Criteria To Use In Identifying Unusually Hazardous Transportation Areas
The law does not dictate the specific conditions that constitute an unusual hazard. Rather, the above procedure requires the original consideration and development of UHT plans to be conducted by the local government because each community and school district has unique characteristics that contribute to unusual transportation hazards. Since characteristics vary widely from one district to another, local officials are typically in the best position to determine what constitutes an unusual hazard in their own community. Some, or all, of the following suggested criteria/conditions may be used to assist local governments in determining whether an unusual hazard exists.
- Age of pupils
- Lack of sidewalks
- Lack of crossing guards
- Lack of local law enforcement
- Railroad crossings
- Width of shoulder of road/highway
- Traffic counts
- Temporary hazards such as construction projects or street repairs
- Other conditions identified by local units of government
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