Lakota parents worried about kids' walk to school

WEST CHESTER, Ohio - Students in the Lakota School District head back to class Thursday and parents are worried about their children's safety getting to school.

Parents of students at Freedom Elementary are concerned because many students have to walk along Beckett Ridge Boulevard, which doesn't have a sidewalk.

The road has a 40 mph speed limit and parents say drivers often go much faster.

"Even when they see us in advance they rarely will slow down for us to walk on the street," said Laura Plummer, a parent of four Lakota students.

Without a sidewalk, students gather and walk as a group with adult supervision.

"Slow down please, just slow down," said Cynthia Schivone, a parent of two Lakota students.

Parents and school officials worked together to secure federal funding to build sidewalks near all of the district's elementary schools, but so far the work hasn't started.

"It seems like it's constantly being put back to the back burner and it's hard to understand that," said Plummer.

The district says its hands are tied because the project is now in the hands of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

They hope that construction will be complete in September.

Until the sidewalks are built, parents are urging drivers to slow down, even when they're not in a school zone.