Warde "Walkers" Denied Bus Transportation by the Number of "Feet" They Lived from High School

I could never understand why bus transportation to Andrew Warde High School wasn't provided to those of us growing up in the Samp Mortar section of Fairfield. After all, the Merritt Parkway was only about a mile up Black Rock Turnpike, while Warde seemed as if it was on the other side of town. It took most of us at least a half-hour to walk to and from school every day.

We were told by the Fairfield Board of Education that we lived within the "official" two-mile distance to Warde. However, when our parents drove us to school, we certainly traveled more than the required two miles. The official measurements of the Fairfield school system never quite matched ours and must have been taken "as the crow flies."

According to a story which appeared in The Bridgeport Post 40 years ago today, parents of about 80 children living in the Brookside Drive area complained that the walking distance was too far for their children, and they demanded that an accurate measurement be made. The photo below shows Clifford Wells, the transportation supervisor for the Fairfield Board of Education, precisely measuring the walking distance from Brookside Drive to Andrew Warde High School.

The actual distance proved to be 9,370 feet, which was just under the 10,580-foot legal limit for walking. In past years, the children were transported by buses on a space-available basis. Walking with Mr. Wells in the photo were Mrs. Anthony Carrano and Mrs. Joseph Bochinski, both of whom lived on Brookside Drive.

How absurd! Denying children a seat on the school bus simply because they lived a few feet within the legal limit was ridiculous. I didn't live anywhere near Andrew Warde High School, yet I was denied transportation because we didn't live far enough from school. The board would have been wise to use common sense instead of a measuring stick.

We did beat the system, though, by sneaking on the bus at the corner of Tahmore Drive and Black Rock Turnpike. Do you have a similar story? Were you denied bus transportation simply because you didn't live more than two miles from school? I'd like to hear about it. I'm sure you found a creative solution like we did.

Paul

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