Busing for middle school students may get easier

On Monday night the Decorah Community School Board continued their discussion from last month regarding picking up middle school students at locations on route, rather than the designated transfer station. The issue arose when parents from the Daly addition requested that their children be picked up in the Daly addition, rather than at the designated site at West Side School. In that case there was sufficient room on the bus for the students to be picked up by their homes.

The school district has now surveyed parents regarding potential use at other city locations, and it appears that buses have sufficient room for students without them having to pick up buses at a designated site. That seemingly clears the way for busing options to change. Superintendent Mike Haluska said he would talk with the transportation director and discuss potential changes. He said that parents and the media would then be notified regarding a final decision. The superintendent, via policy, makes the transportation decision.

Board members, however, cautioned that the decision should not commit the district to the future practices; practices need to involve continuous evaluation. They also noted that the district is currently going beyond their requirements because they are transporting students from within a two mile radius of the schools, which they are not required to do.
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