At 5:20 a.m., Amanda Whitner Ruiz wakes her 13-year-old daughter, Lily, to catch a bus to Atascadero Middle School. By 6:20 a.m., Lily is on the bus for a nearly 50-mile ride into town. She won’t return until almost 5 p.m. “It’s a lot,” Ruiz said. “It’s a lot for my daughter. It’s a lot […]
