Parents in Stafford County, Virginia, who want their children transported on a public school bus next school year will need to opt-in.
Stafford County Public Schools is moving toward the opt-in model, for which students will be picked-up in the morning and returned in the afternoon.
After a rough start at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year where hundreds of students were left waiting for a school bus, parents must now opt-in to get transportation starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
“Based on the feedback from principals, based on our feedback from transportation, we do think this is the best way to move forward,” said Superintendent Daniel Smith at a recent school board meeting.
Beginning April 8, families will receive a form to complete that will inform the school district whether they need school bus transportation for any children enrolled for the new school year.
The school district will then conduct a social media and newsletter campaign between April 9 and May 1, targeting parents to complete the form. Families have until the end of this school year, on May 29, to submit the form.
During June and July, school district transportation officials will map out bus routes for students, based on location and school start times.
That route information is scheduled to be shared with families and finalized on July 29.
During last week’s school board session, when an analysis of stakeholder surveys was reviewed, school officials said that students will be able to be added to bus routes throughout the year.
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