Norwich ― After hearing repeated complaints over a new policy that requires high school students who live within 1.5 miles of the school to walk to and from school, the school board will meet to discuss possible changes to the policy.

During public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Merdoche Gustave, 24, of 128 Oakridge St. said he drives his 14-year-old sister, Taneeka Dorce, to school out of concern for her safety. But he recently had a car crash, and his car was totaled.

“It’s getting really cold,” Gustave said. “It’s getting really dark, and it’s getting really dangerous. So, I think it’s a big concern that we have this situation rectified immediately, because it will only get worse. It will only get scarier.”

Dorce is a freshman at Norwich Regional Technical High School. Dorce’s brother cannot bring her home from school, and Dorce said she sometimes has to walk home alone, “and I don’t feel safe.”

Faced with budget deficits and rising transportation costs, the Norwich school district started enforcing a modified version of a long-ignored policy that high school students who live within 1.5 miles of school to walk. Norwich Tech students must walk to Norwich Free Academy to catch a shuttle up steep Reynolds Road to Mahan Drive and Norwich Tech.

Acting Superintendent Susan Lessard said the high school walkers policy, combined with a requirement that younger students in some areas walk to street corner bus stops to avoid house-by-house stops, should save more than $180,000 this year.

Dorce’s cousin, Enock Petit Homme, who complained to the Board of Education in September, said budget savings are not worth the safety risk. Petit Homme said no board members accepted his invitation to walk the routes from Greeneville to NFA.

Petit Homme said the policy is discriminatory for the Greeneville students, as it affects those urban neighborhoods more than other areas of the city. He read the school board’s mission statement, emphasizing the word, “equity” in the statement.

“The word ‘equity,’ you’re not living to that potential,” Petit-Homme said.

He said more savings could be realized if the board resolved the now 15-month-long investigation into workplace complaints against Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow and Assistant Superintendent Tamara Gloster. Both have been on paid administrative leave, forcing the school board to pay their salaries and salaries for an acting superintendent and acting assistant superintendent.

At the end of the three-hour school board meeting Tuesday, board member John Iovino urged the board to address the complaints aired at the start of the meeting. Iovino said the board should decide on a short-term solution during the winter months and separately should address the long-term policy.

Iovino suggested the board reactivate what had been a temporary transportation committee to discuss the issue immediately and make recommendations. He also suggested the board’s policy committee should discuss the policy on walking to school.

Board Chairman Mark Kulos said he will call a special meeting next week to establish a transportation committee to discuss the walking requirement.

c.bessette@theday.com