Some parents of children who go to Genesee Street Elementary School in Auburn are understandably upset at having lost school-bus service this year.

Under district policy, students living closer than one mile to their school building need to get a ride from an adult, ride a bicycle or walk to and from school. But the Auburn Enlarged City School District this year used a new method for measuring the distance between homes and schools, and some families that had taken bus service for granted found it was no longer the case this year.

We won't argue with the new calculation method - presuming it was accurate - but the system failed to take into consideration the fact that some Genesee Elementary students now need to cross the Arterial to get to and from school.

Several parents spoke up about their concerns at this week's school board meeting, and we think they make a good case for adjusting the rules.

We've all seen how fast some people drive on this busy road, and truckers use this main city artery to get to and from Auburn, or as a shortcut to someplace else.

Having elementary-school-age students cross this road under the best conditions is a bad idea. Throw in some rain or snow and it becomes downright dangerous.

The school district still has no permanent plan to provide a crossing guard (the city police department has stepped in to help temporarily), but even with a crossing guard, the idea of allowing very young children to cross such a busy roadway every day runs contrary to common sense.

Not providing bus service to children who live very close to their schools is common practice, but enforcing this particular one-mile rule is a failure to recognize the special circumstances involved.

The school district needs to make amends for this oversight as soon as possible.