SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Just days before the start of the new school year, Springfield Public Schools changed a Pershing Middle School bus stop after a parent alerted the district her student would have to walk past two sex offenders’ homes in order to get to and from the bus alone each day.
The school district moved the stop to accommodate the parents’ concerns.
“I was panicked,” said Amy DeVane, the student’s mother.
SPS told KOLR 10 Investigates it uses a software system to map its routes. The district added that sex offenders live and work all over the city which can make it difficult to route buses around those addresses.
“My primary concern is the offenses were all against minors and he’s an 11-year-old who would be him walking at times alone without any supervision,” said DeVane.
Documentation from the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirms the two sex offenders living near the original bus stop were convicted of crimes against minors. One victim was 6-years-old and the other was 15.
KOLR 10 Investigates is working to clarify if SPS has a policy regarding the distance between bus stops and addresses of registered sex offenders.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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