Changes will not be made to school start/end times

A plan to change school start and end times to address ongoing busing issues has been taken off the table. The idea, which would have reduced the number of buses needed to transport students, would have also caused significant disruptions to students, staff and families and unfairly impacted Oak-Land Middle School students. 

Instead of changing school times, the district will focus efforts on establishing routes for students living 2 miles or further from school and others required by law to receive busing, creating neighborhood hubs, and continuing to recruit new bus drivers. 

It is not likely that this change will fully resolve the busing issues and we anticipate some routes will remain unfilled. 

So what’s next?
Routes are currently being redrawn to give priority to students we are required by law to transport. The 2 mile no busing zone means families living within 2 miles of school who do not have a bus available will have to find alternative transportation. 

• Families impacted by the 2 mile no busing zone change have been notified busing may not be available.
• New bus route information will be sent to all families by Oct. 27. 
• All of the changes to bus routes will take effect on Wednesday, Nov. 3 
• As more drivers are hired, we’ll continue to add back routes to our families living within 2 miles of school.

We still need your help
The goal is to create a more stable busing system with as little disruption as possible to our families. The biggest challenge is with the first tier of buses, which deliver students to and from the high school and middle schools. Tier 1 has the most buses, and therefore, has the highest number of unfilled routes. 

• If your middle school or high school student is not in need of busing, or is not utilizing busing at this time, please fill out the Decline Transportation Form. This ensures buses can be rerouted in the most efficient way possible and we can provide busing to those kids who need it most.
  • NOTE: Students who do not utilize transportation for 10 days in a row may be dropped from a bus route.
• If you know someone who may like to drive our kids to school, please have them apply now at www.metrotn.com.