PRAIRIEVILLE - With all its new bells and whistles, Ascension’s newly-opened Bullion Primary School, located smack in the middle of a new subdivision that is completely walk-able, has a rule that many parents in the subdivision had no clue about: students can not walk to school.

“I did notice a dad walk his daughter across, but I didn't see it again after that and it was maybe like the first or second day,” said Ashley Hawkins, who has a child attending the school.

Many parents in the neighborhood said they had no clue of the school district’s practice that does not allow primary school students to walk to school until the new school year was already underway.

“They don't like having to get in their cars and go all the way to the front of the school and wait for a bus just to pick them up,” said Cheryl Dufour, whose front door is just yards away from the school gate and soon-to-be painted crosswalk.

“There has been some concern,” she added.“Nobody wants to be troublemakers, but I would be concerned. I would not want to have to get in my car right here. I would like to just be able to walk them across the street in an organized fashion."

With so much construction, the school board says their biggest concern is safety, giving parents two choices: ride the bus or drop them off.

“I also, on the other hand, think it may be a waste of resources with the buses having to actually make a route to accommodate kids that live in this area,” Hawkins said as she waited in a long line for pick-ups.

According to the school board, with construction vehicles, the car rider line, and school buses, there is no safe space for students that does not have vehicle traffic. But they say that may change in a couple months.

The school district said in a statement, "we understand there are some parents who want to walk their children to campus... At Bullion Primary, we have encouraged parents to utilize car rider and bus rider options while the school remains under construction."

For the parents who live in this neighborhood, walking to school was a huge selling point when they bought in, and it will be again if they sell.

“I mean this is a great family location, a great place to be, so I wouldn't want that to interfere," Dufour said. "I'm going to be honest. I’ll tell them, 'school, you can't walk your kids.' How’s that going to affect the buyer?"