Parents in Page County say budget cuts at the schools are putting their kids' lives at risk.

With seven fewer bus drivers this year, some of the county's buses are standing-room only. Angry parents say something has to give.

Wendie Eppart's daughter came home from her first day of school at Shenandoah Elementary with stories about the chaotic bus ride home.

"There are children sitting in the aisles, there are children standing up there was also some sitting on other children's lap," says Eppart.

She says she's outraged by overcrowding on county buses, which leaves little or no room for some students to sit down.

"It's an unsafe, unhealthy environment," says Eppart

Eppart is one of several mothers frustrated by the situation.

One woman sent her daughter to school with a camera phone to document the number of students standing and sitting in the aisles.

"We just ask our parents to be very patient with us. We're working on it daily," says Page County Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Thomas.

The district says it's doing the best it can in a time when money is tight. The current school budget is nearly $5 million less than it was in 2009.

Transportation was cut $131,653 through route consolidation and eliminating seven bus drivers.

"We have a little overcrowding which we have approximately 30 days to fix by law, so we are working on that and we want everybody to be able to arrive at school safely and depart in a safe manner," says Thomas.

Maximum capacity on each bus is 71 people. Thomas says some buses are more than full so he may add another route in southern Page County.

Eppart says there's no price on her child's safety, and she doesn't care where the schools find the money to make those changes.

"Anywhere possible as long as the children are safe," says Eppart.

Eppart has other complaints with her daughter's bus route including the fact that there are high schoolers riding with elementary school children. She is also concerned that it takes nearly two hours for her daughter to be dropped off in the afternoon.

Thomas says they hope to have the bus situation resolved in a couple of days.