Thanks to COVID, these Hamilton high schoolers have an hour-plus commute

Despite living near the border between Ancaster and Dundas, Emerson and Xander Rutherford-Parish go to high school on the Mountain - 18 kilometres from home.

These brothers, twins going into Grade 10, are in the catchment area for French immersion at Sherwood Secondary, one of two schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) that offer the program. The other is Westdale Secondary, about six kilometres from their house.

It's an hour-and-fifteen-minute commute, and they go right by Westdale high school, which is our closest high school," said Mel Rutherford, the boys' father. But because of this catchment issue, that's not the high school we're assigned to."

Last year, these students were able to get courtesy seating," which is available to students without an assigned bus. But that option has been eliminated amid COVID to preserve cohorts.

Instead, Emerson and Xander have to find their own way to school - and for them that means a commute of more than an hour on two city buses.

It just seems unreasonably dangerous, not just to put them on the city bus, but put them on for that long," Rutherford said. And at 100 per cent capacity."

Last week, the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) announced it would be returning to full-seat capacity, which means 30 people on a regular bus and 50 on a longer bus, starting Sept. 6.

Rutherford said he and his wife, Melanie Parish, are still hoping for a safer option, like travelling with their cohort or attending a high school that is closer to home.

If we could go to a high school that was close enough to bicycle to, that'd be even safer than the school bus," he said.

Rutherford said his kids could go to Ancaster High, a 20-minute bike ride away, but that would mean switching into an English program. With just a few credits of French left, the boys don't want to give it up.

The kids want to go to school. They want to be doing in-person learning in class," he said.

In an Aug. 20 statement, HSR said the adjusted secondary school schedule may shift a portion of the HSR's afternoon peak periods on transit to midday."

We have planned it so we can have extra operators available so we can supplement that service as required," HSR director Debbie Dalle Vedove told The Spectator.

Martha Fulford, an infectious disease specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, said the risk posed by taking public transit is relatively low.

I think that the setting of buses and places like that, particularly with low transmission rates across the board, is very low-risk now," she said.

She said it's those who have prolonged" encounters with people that are at a greater risk.

It's the bus driver, who's there all the time, people in and out, who's much more likely to have a high risk to exposure," she said.

Fulford said the package" of measures - wearing masks, distancing and cohorts, to name a few - are crucial in mitigating risk. She also believes the social and mental-health benefits of returning to school outweigh any potential physical health risks.

I think we're on the right track," she said. If anything, I think our school boards are probably being overcautious."

On Aug. 26, parents and guardians were asked to confirm whether or not their children would be using school transportation in the fall. Eligible students have until Sept. 1 to opt-out of riding the school bus.

Active forms of travel, (like) walking and cycling, and private transportation by parents and caregivers, are encouraged where possible, to ease pressure on transportation demand," said HWDSB spokesperson Shawn McKillop in an email to The Spectator.

On Aug. 21, the school board announced it would be requiring masks for all students riding the school bus - from kindergarten to Grade 12. Assigned seating, regular disinfection of high-touch areas and face shields for bus drivers are among the other back-to-school measures in place.

Many high school students, out of necessity or preference, will use public transit to get to and from school instead.

Students who use HSR services are expected to follow all safety precautions outlined by HSR," McKillop said.

Last week, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board sent a survey to parents and guardians whose children are eligible to travel by bus.

If they're able to get their child or children to school either through walking or a different mode of transportation, then we would strongly encourage it," said HWCDSB chairperson Patrick Daly.

Once the board gets the results of the survey, routes and schedules will be finalized. Daly said he expects fewer students will opt-in to school bus transportation this year.

I would be surprised if it's not less," he said.

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com