School Won't Give Boy a Bus Pass Because He Lives 6 Feet Too Close
The father of a British schoolboy says his son has been screwed out of a bus pass because the local council is stubbornly enforcing a policy down to the last decimal place. Jon Lawson, age 11, lives 1.999 miles away from school. Students who live 2 miles out are eligible for free passes.
Although Jon doesn't get a free bus pass, his older brother Liam, 14, does. Walking directions have been updated since Liam applied, and the Lawsons are now considered to live six feet closer to the Seaham School of Technology than they did before, the Mirror reports.
Durham County Council said in a letter to the family that "we have updated the system we use to measure walking distances," and although it "may seem unusual" to treat the two brothers differently, they're sticking to the decision "in the interests of fairness."
In other words, this 11-year-old is stuck with a 40-minute daily walk to class because the school decided to do the equivalent of switching from Yahoo to Google Maps.
"It is a farce. I think it is absolutely ridiculous. Jon is only 11 and I don't want him walking the streets on his own, especially now the dark nights are coming in," Lawson's dad, John, said.
