Group seeks solution to Stanhope school buses

Stanhope-A group of Stanhope parents are not taking the cancelation of school busing laying down. However, they don't plan on fighting the board of education, instead they want to join hands with it to find a solution. A handful of residents banded together under the name of Concerned Parents Group of Stanhope to call on both the board of education and the community in general. They are looking for support of the borough's children in the wake of the decision by the municipality to end school bus service. "We re all affected by this decision and now we need to come together to make sure the children are safe," said Gina Thomas, one of the organizers. Stanhope officials announced last month the district would discontinue the service as a way to reduce the budget. The decision affects some 100 children in the borough. The group however, is not disputing the district's decision, instead it plans to enlist the help of education officials to seek other options to ease the burden on local parents. "At this point our busing is gone, we are not getting it back. We want to find an alternative way for the safety of our children," said Thomas. The group's first step to rally the community to their cause is hosting a meeting which they believe would open the dialogue between official and residents. To that effect, the group has invited members of the board of education as well as members of the governing body to take part. The group is also extending its invitation to senior citizens and residents who do not have children in the school system. "The goal is to make everyone aware of the options. We would to appeal to our senior citizens. We feel that they have lots of knowledge that can help us. Also to professionals, they may have other ways to look at the issue," said Thomas. "If we can get everyone's ideas together then we can come out with viable solutions." The meeting of the Concerned Parents Group of Stanhope is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, July 26 at the American Legion Hall on Route 183 in Stanhope. For more information on the group or the meeting, residents are asked to call Shaun Marinaro at 973-448-1651 or Thomas at Thomas 973-713-1445.