LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Janiah Brown, a junior at Central High School, was crossing Cane Run Road just before 7 a.m. when a vehicle hit and killed her Tuesday. Brown was heading to school to take the SAT.
Her death raised urgent concerns about how thousands of students safely travel to school each morning across Jefferson County Public Schools.
Neighbors said the stretch of road is dark and dangerous for students walking before sunrise.
"My heart sank," said Ellasha Ferriell, who lives nearby, adding street lighting is limited along the road where Brown was hit. "It's really dark here. There are no lights."
Another neighbor said traffic moves quickly through the area.
"The cars, the semi trailers, fly going 60 down Cane Run Road," D'Dra Means said.
Brown was active in ROTC and was preparing for college, according to Corrie Shull, chair of the Jefferson County Board of Education.
Leaders push plan to light bus stops
The tragedy came as city and school leaders work on a plan aimed at making the trip to school safer for students across Louisville. About 50,000 JCPS students wait at bus stops each morning, many in low-light conditions.
"Unfortunately too many of them wait to do that in dark or low light conditions," Louisville Metro Councilman Markus Winkler said.
Winkler and board member James Craig collaborated on a partnership between the district and the city to improve lighting near bus stops. The plan includes:
- LG&E prioritizing repairs if a streetlight near a stop is broken
- JCPS moving bus stops closer to existing streetlights when possible
- The city prioritizing the installation of new lights if no other option exists
"The city's going to pay for all of it," Shull said. "They've got the money we don't have."
Leaders hope the changes will make mornings safer for students heading to school.
Past violence raised alarms
Concerns about student safety near bus stops began years ago.
In 2021, 16-year-old Tyree Smith was shot and killed while waiting at a bus stop. His mother, Sherita Smith, described getting the call.
"It was like 'Mama, I've been shot,'" Smith said. "I said 'What?' He said 'Get here now please. I'm dying.'"
More recently, gunfire near a bus stop close to Central High School sent students running for cover the first day of school.
Less than a week later, a mother dropping her child off at the same stop was shot and killed.
Sherita Smith said the new lighting plan is a step in the right direction.
What happens next
The school board approved the bus stop lighting plan at a board meeting the same night Brown was killed.
The proposal will go before Metro Council for a vote in about two weeks. All members of the Louisville Metro Council signed on as co-sponsors.
City and school leaders say the goal is simple keeping students safe on the way to school.
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