Blind veteran, single parent, needs help getting son to school

Is it understandable that budget cuts hurt all kinds of people? Sure. The problem is, what is being done to help this veteran take care of his son? Dana Miller was blinded in an explosion when he was 19. He got married, had a child and then his wife ended up in jail, presumably after a divorce. He did the stand up thing and went to take care of his son but now he can't take care of him without help. Budget cuts ended up costing his son safe transportation to school. If the school cared enough about the students in need of safe transportation then why don't they come up with a plan to do it? Did they ever consider arranging car pools? Did they ever think of putting out the word to other parents about who needs help? There is a lot they can do if they want to without costing them anything more than their time to get it done.

Blind veteran denied busing for son in Lakewood Park
By Alexi Howk (Contact)
Originally published 05:15 p.m., December 12, 2008
Updated 05:15 p.m., December 12, 2008
FORT PIERCE — Dana Millar’s 6-year-old son, William, on occasion takes a taxi cab to and from Lakewood Park Elementary School.

Figuring out how to get his son to and from school each day is a constant struggle for the single father because he’s blind and can’t drive. As a courtesy, the school district last year provided bus transportation for William, but cut the service this year because of state budget cuts.

Because William lives within two miles of his school, by law, the school district doesn’t have to provide transportation.

“They’re putting my son’s safety behind their budget cuts,” Millar said. “I don’t think it’s asking too much. There are no sidewalks, and there is a lot of traffic.”

About 600 students countywide, all within a two-mile radius of their area schools, were affected by the elimination of courtesy pickups, said Don Carter, director of transportation for the St. Lucie County School District.

“The elimination of courtesy stops was probably the most painful from the perspective of the community, because it impacted a lot of families” Carter said.

Meanwhile, Millar, 48, said he feels helpless. He said he’s tried to get help from local school officials, but they’re unwilling to listen or return his calls. He also said he’s offered to pay the cost for picking up his son.

Millar, who lives in a small duplex in Lakewood Park, is a U.S. Army veteran. He lost his eyes during a military explosion when he was 19 years old, he said. Doctors had to replace his eyes with acrylic eyes. Millar, who walks with a cane, said he tried walking his son to school one time, but since he can’t see, he got lost. And it’s just too dangerous, he said.

So he scrambles each day to find friends or acquaintances to pick up his son, even paying some of them. “That’s how desperate I am,” he said. “It’s never the same person who picks him up.” click link above for more