The Halton District School Board is withdrawing bus transportation for students in Hawthorne Village (Milton). According to the transportation department the annual review policy of exceptions found that a number of decisions resulted in some students being provided transportation service despite their not being eligible under the Board\'s guidelines. The board claims their direction is to eliminate inconsistencies and to administer the policy equitably across the Region. The board claims that students who reside in areas of Hawthorne Village have been receiving transportation based on a policy exemption due to the fact that there was no sidewalk along Derry rd. Since there is now a continuous sidewalk along Derry rd transportation will be eliminated effective September 2, 2008. There is no continuous sidewalk along Derry Rd. There is only a bike path that will not be cleared of snow during the winter months. Students are currently walking up to 1.6 km to Hawthorne Village P.S. taking an average of 25 minutes to do so. Walking 4.8 Km to high school will take them 75 minutes. Students will have to be leaving home by 6:50 each morning in order to make it to class for an 8:10 start and will not be home before 4:00 in the afternoon. We have a meeting with the transportation review committee next week. Please sign this petition if you are against the withdrawl of bussing to the students in affected areas of Milton.