Families in Stoughton are facing frustration as over 100 middle and high school students were not placed on a bus route for the upcoming school year. Stoughton Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Baeta explained that due to an increase in student applications, 150 secondary school students were not granted bus transportation, representing about 10% of applicants. This has left many parents concerned, especially those who work during drop-off and pick-up times and have no other means of getting their children to school.
During a virtual meeting, parents expressed their struggles, with one single mother stating that she had no option but to have her child take the bus. The district explained that students were placed on buses in the order that their applications were received, with an increase in applications this year compared to the previous year. While all elementary school students who applied for bus transportation were accommodated, 75 middle schoolers and 75 high schoolers were left without transportation.
The district clarified that they are not required to transport students in seventh grade through 12th grade, and middle and high school students living within a half mile of their school are also ineligible for bus transportation. Budget constraints have led to funding one less bus this year, although two additional buses are being operated to transport students from emergency shelters. The district is reviewing bus lists for any discrepancies and plans to provide an update on further transportation next week.
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