Complaint Review: San Bernardino County School District

I went to my in-laws over the weekend and they told me that my 12 year old nephew was flashed by a transient while he was walking home. As far as I knew my nieces and nephew always rode the bus. Their parents told me that in order to cut costs they now charge $350 per child, per school year to ride the bus. This is a very rural area that is being built up slowly. There is a field that a lot of transients hang out in that these kids who can't afford to ride the bus are being forced to walk by.

My mother in law or one of my sisters in law are now having to take and pick the kids up and that is lucky for them that we have such a big family, but what about the kids who don't have anyone to take them? It's in the high desert and the weather can be extremely hot or cold and these kids now have to walk for miles in this weather on dirt roads to get home.  

Every child has the right to a free education yet they are trying to charge these kids who ride the bus for theirs. They get paid per child, per day, for everyone of them in their seat. If they aren't helping to get them there, well that is just a really horrible business sense. Tell me how is this legal?