bus registration

To request a bus for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, please contact Karen Isaacson, transportation coordinator, at 508-841-8727 or email transportation@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

NEW GUIDANCE:

The Massachusetts Department of Education published updated school bus rider guidance on February 11, 2021 that allows for students to share bus benches provided windows remain cracked and students wear masks.  This updated guidance was based on science from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health which shows that the rate of air exchange on a moving school bus with the windows open effectively prevents virus particles from accumulating. 

Bus Riding Protocols Due to Covid-19 for 2020-2021 School Year

Whenever possible, we will we will assign only one student per bench seat except for siblings who will sit together on the same bench.  However, with the full return to school in April, many buses will require two students per seat.

All students and adults must wear a mask while riding the bus.

Students will have assigned seats to assist with contact tracing in the event of a positive case

Bus windows will remain open when students are riding.  In inclement weather, every other window will be open approximately 1 inch

Bus drivers will wipe down high touch points between bus runs

Buses will be disinfected every night

School Bus Transportation

The transportation program of the Shrewsbury Public Schools is one of many services that the district provides to support the education of its students from kindergarten through grade 12. The three-tiered system (high school, middle school, elementary) transports over 4,500 students each day using 48 buses. The District has a contract with AA Transportation through school year 2022-2023 to provide this service.

Special Note for 2020-2021 School Year:

Dear Shrewsbury Families,

We are opening school bus registration for the 2020-2021 school year with some adaptations for physical distancing based upon transportation guidance issued by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [MA DESE] which can be found on their school reopening resource page here.  Because of physical distancing, fewer students will be able to ride a bus at one time, as we are limited to one student per seat.  We are asking all families who wish to have their child ride the bus to and/or from school this year to register for the bus now so that we can determine how many students we will be able to accommodate beyond those who are mandated by law to be transported.  

It is important to note that the School Committee has voted to waive the bus fee for the first half of the school year due to uncertainty of the reopening plan and the uncertainty about the level of service our school district will actually be providing.  Later in the fall, the School Committee will revisit the topic of the bus fee for the second half of the school year.

Because of the circumstances of this coming school year, we are instituting a three-step process:

  1. Bus registration
  2. Determination of eligibility for bus transportation
  3. Assignment of bus routes

Step 1: Online Registration (to be completed now by families): 

ALL families who would like to have their child ride the bus to and/or from school for in-person learning must register your student(s) using the PowerSchool Parent Portal (instructions at the bottom of this message).  By registering, you are requesting bus transportation, but this is NOT confirmation that you will have a seat unless your student must be provided school transportation by law.

Step 2: School District Determines Eligibility

We are opening up registration now to assess ridership demand and we will subsequently allocate bus seating confirmations on a prioritized basis.  We will need to see how many families request services to determine how many students we can accommodate given the limited number of students that we may have on a bus at one time.  We will confirm whether your child has a reserved seat on a bus approximately two weeks prior to the district reopening for in-person education, which is expected to be sometime in mid-September.

The following priorities for seating on a bus are established as follows:

Group 1:  Students who must be offered bus transportation by law as well as Oak and SHS students who live two or more miles from their assigned school

We are required by law to transport students at no charge who:

  • are in Grades K-6 and live two or more miles for their assigned school (both public and private schools within Shrewsbury)
  • have specialized transportation as a service their Individualized Education Program [IEP]
  • attend Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School

Group 1 priority will also be given to students who attend Oak or SHS who live two or more miles from those schools.  While the bus fee is waived for these students through December, it is possible that a fee might be instituted for them beginning in January.

Group 2:  Students currently eligible for free or reduced price lunch and who do not fall into Group 1

Group 3:  All other students

In the event that demand exceeds capacity, then bus seats will be allocated to Group 3 students based on the following criteria:

  • Distance from home to school with preference to those living further away from their school
  • Verifiable hardships preventing school attendance
  • Date of bus registration

 

Contacts:

All Shrewsbury Public Schools, all private schools in Shrewsbury, and Assabet Valley Regional Technical HIgh School.

Email: transportation@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Telephone:  508-841-8400

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