Oak Ridge Schools has released bus routes for the 2015-2016 school year.
Here are links to the routes: [Read more…]
School bus service restored Sept. 15; new routes announced
The 1.5 parent responsibility zone, or PRZ, approved in June will end September 15. There will still be a .15-mile PRZ for elementary school students and a .25-mile zone for middle and high school students.
Note: This story was updated at 1:08 p.m.
The 1.5-mile parent responsibility zone approved by Oak Ridge school officials in June will end September 15. School bus service then will be the same as it was during the 2013-2014 school year.
There will still be a .15-mile PRZ for elementary school students and a .25-mile zone for middle and high school students, which is the same as last year. In that zone, parents are responsible for getting their children to and from school; bus service is not provided.
In a press release Monday, Oak Ridge Schools said parents and family members should check the appropriate school website for new bus route information. Times are approximate.
Students should be prepared to board the bus 10 minutes before the scheduled time, the press release said. All routes are dependent upon regular ridership and may be altered or suspended at any time.
“As a reminder, please make sure your child is registered for bus service at their school prior to September 15,” the press release said. [Read more…]
School board restores bus service this year
A small group of parents and students protest the expanded “parent responsibility zone,” where bus service is not provided, before an Oak Ridge Board of Education meeting on Monday. The board agreed during the meeting to restore bus service to last year’s levels. Pictured above from left are Michelle Doka, Melanie Heiberg, Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn, protest organizer Laurie Paine, and her daughter Kaitlan Paine.
Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. August 12.
After hearing impassioned pleas from parents and grandparents, the Oak Ridge school board on Monday temporarily restored bus service to about 1,300 students who had been affected by an expanded but controversial “parent responsibility zone.” Parents of students who lived within that zone were responsible for getting their children to and from schools; bus service was not provided.
The parent responsibility zone, or PRZ, was expanded to 1.5 miles in June as part of a move to reduce a $1.25 million budget deficit. But parents of elementary and middle school students, in particular, objected to having students as young as five years old cross busy four-lane roadways like Oak Ridge Turnpike or Illinois Avenue to get to school, or walk past the homes of registered sex offenders or down roads with no sidewalks.
Parents, including single mothers, also expressed concerns about losing their jobs because they have to leave work early to pick up their children. They also said the expanded parent responsibility zone, which some call a “walk zone,” had a disproportionate impact on low-income families and elementary school children. They were disappointed by a lack of crossing guards near their schools, where their children or grandchildren cross busy roads. (City officials say they are accepting applications for crossing guards.)
“This is too dangerous,” resident Regina Wood said. “The safest way to get these kids to school is a bus,” resident Bill Dodge said.
On Monday, after a series of protests that started in July, the Oak Ridge Board of Education agreed in a 4-1 vote to use $300,000 in one-time money from the school system’s fund balance to restore the bus routes this year and then study the issue comprehensively before the next school year—or try to obtain more funding. The Monday night vote essentially reverses the June decision.
The bus routes likely won’t be restored immediately however, and possibly not until October. Among other things, up to three school bus drivers might need to be hired for an additional six routes, and buses will have to be made “road ready.” Still, advocates of restoring bus service were pleased for now. [Read more…]
Willow Brook starts school year on Thursday
Willow Brook Elementary School is pictured above in May 2012. (File photo)
Willow Brook Elementary will start its 2014â€15 school year on Thursday, July 17.
School hours on Thursday, July 17, and Friday, July 18 will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The regular school schedule will begin on Monday, July 21, for students in grades 1â€4.
Kindergarten students will remain on an early dismissal schedule for Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22. There will be no school for kindergarten students on Wednesday, July 23, but they will begin a regular school schedule on Thursday, July 24.
Food and transportation services will begin on Thursday, July 17.
Bus stops and routes are set according to enrollment as of July 4, 2014. New bus routes have been established due to an increase in the walk zone. Please review these routes when making transportation plans for your student(s) as bus transportation will not be available to students living within the 1.5-mile walk zone. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge school bus routes announced
Oak Ridge Schools have announced the bus routes for the 2013-2014 school year, including at Oak Ridge High School, pictured above.
Oak Ridge Schools have announced the 2013-2014 bus routes for Glenwood Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Robertsville Middle School, and Woodland Elementary School.
The routes have been uploaded to Oak Ridge Today.
The links to the routes are below. The Oak Ridge Schools’ Preschool and Willow Brook Elementary School are on separate calendars. [Read more…]
