filing an injuction, state of oklahoma

[donnlee]

What is the name of your state Oklahoma

We need to know if we can file an injunction to stop the county/state from building a bridge without building a low water crossing (a different path through a creek bottom, basically).

I drive 7 miles to take my children to school, out of district, on a transfer. I had the children transferred due to the fact that we are in a district that is approximately 25 miles away, while the school we attend is only 7 miles from my house. Money is an issue!

On our way to school, we have to cross a pretty rickety bridge. They have decided to construct a new bridge- which is great, no problem there. The problem comes in the fact that they are not putting an alternative route through the same creek bottom to let us pass the creek and go to school. So in order to take my kids to school, I have to drive around close to 30 miles out of route. Being that we are not wealthy people and we have a budget to consider, an extra $200.00 worth of gas a month to get to school is pretty much not possible. This is a pretty serious matter to my family as I am sure that there are other families that will not be able to get to work, school, etc.

Is there a way to file an injunction to make the county or state rethink closing our road without building a place for us to cross to get to the highway to get to school?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

[racer72]

So you think the local taxpayers should pay for your convenience over a choice you made? The odds of getting such an injunction are long and would likely cost more that the extra money you will pay for gas.

[donnlee]

That was my quick run down of the situation. You must have no idea of what rural Oklahoma is like... There is more to the story than I have stated. I was looking for some educated advice, not someone's uneducated opinion.
Thanks though, for trying to help.
btw, help is what I came here for.

[Country Living]

Bridges all over the country have been deemed unsafe and they're trying to replace the most dangerous ones as quickly as possible. It's unfortunate that people will be inconvenienced.

Your best bet is to speak with the school board to see if they will run a bus near you during the construction period. When you speak with them, leave the emotions at home and give them just the facts. You're probably not the only family involved in this situation. Even if you are, they just might make a short-term accommodation.

[donnlee]

Country Living

Thank you for the reply. I have spoken with the school board and they are willing to accommodate us (the families that need to get their kids to school).

I think it is sad that it is the(already broke) school district that stepped up and the county seemed totally uncaring of the peoples' plight.

Hopefully it will be completed in a timely fashion (weather permitting, I'm sure). It is a visibly unsafe bridge and we are definitely proud it is being replaced.

[Country Living]

I skipped over the part that said your children go out-of-district.

I'm sure you're aware it takes well over a year to completely tear down and rebuild a small bridge unless you get very, very lucky. It's over two years in my rural area.

You may have to transfer the children back in-district and use that bus system to get your children to and from school until the bridge is fixed. You have a better chance of having the in-district bus route accommodate you than the out-of-district route. The out-of-district school may have a plan of some sort where you can pay to have your children ride the bus if you take them to a specific location. That brings up the whole money thing again.

If you decide to transfer the children back to in-district, you may want to ask the out-of-district school to guarantee (in writing) your children can return to that school after the bridge is fixed without waiting on space availability (some schools limit the number of out-of-district pupils.)

It doesn't hurt to approach both schools and explain your problem. If other parents in your geographical area also send their children to the same school, maybe carpool is an option.

You should contact the county (or whatever agency would have the information) to get the timeline on the bridge construction. It may help you with your decision. Be nice to the person who gives you the information. They have a thousand bridges and thousands of upset people to deal with every day. Get the information and ask if there is a website they keep updated so you'll stay informed about the progress of the construction.

Remember this is more emotional for you than the children. Children are resilient.

[Country Living]

Originally Posted by donnlee

Country Living

Thank you for the reply. I have spoken with the school board and they are willing to accommodate us (the families that need to get their kids to school).

I think it is sad that it is the(already broke) school district that stepped up and the county seemed totally uncaring of the peoples' plight.

Hopefully it will be completed in a timely fashion (weather permitting, I'm sure). It is a visibly unsafe bridge and we are definitely proud it is being replaced.

I took over thirty minutes to write my post (it is just one of those afternoons) so I missed your response that things worked out. Good for you!