BRACKLEY BEACH, P.E.I. - A school bus stop that made headlines in December and again last week is on the move once more.
Parker Grimmer, director of the Public Schools Branch, says concerns from residents about road conditions is the reason the Brackley Beach bus stop is set for relocation.
Last week, The Guardian reported that a parent in the area had heard that the bus stop was moving back to a location she had lobbied to have it moved away from.
Related: P.E.I. parent frustrated about son's bus stop moving closer to sex offender's home again
Kerri Kelly first contacted the paper in December with issues she had over the stop where her son waited for the bus each morning, saying the bus stopped just outside of convicted sex offender Don Harley’s home.
Related: Bus stop next to sex offender’s house concerns parents
After the initial story ran, Grimmer contacted Kelly and told her the Public Schools Branch had investigated the matter and was relocating the stop closer to her home where she could keep an eye on her son.
About a week later, The Guardian reported that Harley, who was given a conditional sentence for sexually assaulting a tanning salon employee, is in jail after allegedly breaching that sentence order and will remain there until his release date on March 6.
Related: School bus stop moves away from sex offender’s house
On Jan. 18, Kelly received another call from Grimmer letting her know the stop will once again be moved, though Grimmer did not specify the new location.
Grimmer told The Guardian Monday that some of the residents and landowners on the street where the stop is currently located are concerned about damage to their road.
“The residents were communicating with us that they felt that because this individual is not there presently, that the child would not be at risk.”
When asked what the schools branch is doing to ensure that risk has been eliminated, Grimmer did not provide a response.
Grimmer said he was not aware of any Public Schools Branch protocol that deals with situations such as this one, where there is a registered sex offender living on a bus route. But he said it was something the branch would be willing to look into.
Grimmer said he is meeting with Kelly in the near future to come up with a solution.
“At this point in time, we just want to try and find the best possible stop that meets the safety requirements and that is good for the Kelly family, as well as some of the residents of the private road.”
