Non-transport zones are areas around each school building where students will not be eligible for school district transportation. Families with pick-up or drop-off locations within these zones will need to find an alternative way to and from school.
We are expanding our non-transport zones for a number of reasons.
Overcrowding
Many of our current bus routes are overcrowded. Our buses hold up to 72 passengers, which is three students per seat. On our elementary routes, many of our buses are pushing 72. A number of them have gone over that number this year, and we have had to take bus stops from those buses and put them on other buses. For middle school and high school routes, we like to only have 48 students on a bus, which is two students per seat. Unfortunately, many of these routes are also overcrowded, and we are having students sit three to a seat to accommodate this. This typically means smaller middle school students are sitting with high school students.
Uniformity
Kirkersville and Pataskala have had non-transport zones around their buildings for a number of years. Etna, Watkins Intermediate, the middle school and high school all have areas around their buildings that should be non-transport zones.
Resources
We will be able to take the resources currently being used in these non-transport areas and redistribute them to areas we are experiencing the most growth and overcrowding.
Growth
We must prepare for the growth that is coming. Please view the resources below concerning the enrollment study that was completed for our school district by Cooperative Strategies.
The circles that have the non-transport zones drawn on them represent a reference of 1/2 mile radius from the building. The 1/2 mile radius circle is a guide the district used when determining non-transport zones. Ohio Revised Code states that we are required to transport resident school pupils in grades kindergarten through eighth grade that live more than 2 miles from their assigned school.
Parents/guardians are able to have one pick-up and one drop-off address for their child. If this address is outside of a non-transport zone, then the school district will transport the student to and from school. For students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, the pick-up and drop-off addresses must still be within their elementary school boundary determined by their home address.
Yes, crossing guards will be available. Each building will determine locations of those crossing guards.