School policy takes heat after student is hit by car | News

Spring Hill, Florida - When Hernando County schools decided last year year to save money by eliminating bus service to students within a two mile radius, some parents warned them someone would get hurt.

Today they're saying "I told you so" after a teenager was struck by a car Thursday morning.

Facing a tight budget year, Hernando County school officials decided they could save close to $800,000 by having kids within two miles of their zoned schools find their own way rather than ride the school bus.

Last year Derek Kruis, 14, would have been one of those kids who'd have been riding the bus to school. On Thursday, because of the district's new two-mile rule, he had to walk.

Kruis was struck by a car and airlifted to St. Joseph's children's hospital in Tampa with a broken femur.

"It's not as simple as it seems," insists Hernando Schools Superintendent Bryan Blavatt.

Blavatt, who recommended the two-mile rule as a way of saving money, is now being slammed with calls from parents second-guessing the idea.

"And my reponse to that is - 'we've done everything possible to make you wrong', said Blavatt.

Blavatt says the district placed fourteen more crossing guards in the area, and targeted elementary school kids with a safety campaign.

He doesn't want to see any kids get hit. Ever. Blavatt also points out an equal number of such incidents occurred the previous two years before the two-mile bus rule took effect.

"The cause may not be the fact that he was walking that distance. It may be as simple as bad judgement on his part," said Blavatt.

Kruis's mother Melissa, who was with him at the hospital today, said from the beginning she opposed the new rule from the get-go. In her words, she "didn't appreciate it."

It's a sentiment shared by other parents like Chandra Bennington.

"I believe that they could have and should have done more planning on this," said Bennington.

Edward Salyers, who has four kids in Hernando schools agreed.

"It's not working for them. There's too many children. I mean, these are our lives," said Saylers.

The superintendent plans to visit the accident scene with investigators from the sheriff's office on Monday, and vows to look at any recommendations they have to help avoid this sort of thing from happening again.