and afternoon before the first day of school, Aug. 25.
More than 1,096 school buses will conduct dry runs over the five-day
period, starting Aug. 16. Drivers will practice driving their routes
and picking up students. The buses will be on the roads from
approximately 6 to 9 a.m. and 1:15 to 5 p.m.
"Our students' safety to and from school is our number-one priority,"
said Carol Stamper, executive director of transportation. "We will
have a portion of the 1,096 buses on the roads each day, so please be
careful and allow extra time to get to your destinations in the
mornings and afternoons."
CMS will have shuttle stops for full magnet middle and high schools
this year. Parents will be responsible for getting students to and
from the shuttle stops at designated CMS schools. CMS will pick up
and drop off students at the assigned shuttle stop. This change is
expected to save CMS more than $3.5 million.
Parents should check the location of their child's bus stop before
school starts. Suggestions for parents and children include:
· Walk to and from your child's bus stop to become familiar
with its location.
· Ensure that your child arrives at his/her stop 10 to 15
minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
· Tell children to cross the street in front of the school bus
after the stop arm and hazard lights come on.
· Remind children to tell the bus driver if something is
dropped near the bus.
· Remind children to tell a school administrator or police
officer about any disruptive behavior or suspicious activity at stops.
Transportation information, including bus-stop locations, pick-up and
drop-off times and bus route-numbers, is being mailed to families.
Parents with questions about transportation or a bus stop should call
the school or the Transportation office at 980-343-6715.
Parents can also fill out a transportation service request form online
to request changes to their child's transportation schedule.
Media video/photo opportunity: Media may get video or photos at two
transportation staging areas during the dry runs: 6520 Orr Road and
3101 Wilkinson Blvd. Please note: Media should get shots on public
property and not interrupt drivers at staging locations. Drivers are
not available for interviews and ride-alongs are not allowed.
