DAYTON — Dayton Public Schools will not provide busing for all high school students when school starts on August 12.
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Part of the state budget made it illegal for Dayton Public Schools to buy RTA bus passes for their students to school.
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“This has been a long-term challenge for the community of Dayton, not just Dayton Public Schools,” Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence said.
Lawrence said the school board and the management team decided there is no way to provide organized busing for high schools this year.
They have used RTA passes, with downtown transfers, for the last three school years, but now that is illegal.
The action came after complaints from the business community, state lawmakers, parents, and law enforcement about the unsafe conditions for teens at the RTA Hub.
The late change didn’t allow DPS time to explore limited stop service for students through RTA.
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They also didn’t have time to add enough yellow buses to the district’s fleet.
Hundreds of parents responded to a school survey about what they should do.
“They fell in these buckets: I’m going to walk to school, I’m going to buy a bus pass for my student anyway, I don’t know how I’m going to solve this,” Lawrence said.
Some parents also said they would try to drop their children off and pick them up, a tough task for working parents.
“We’re always thinking about what’s best for families, thinking about making adjustments now,” Lawrence said.
The first day of school is on Aug. 12.
Lawrence said they will be watching high school attendance numbers closely to see if they need to work with the community on any additional changes.
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