SUDBURY—Due to the great response to a pilot school busing program for students in Grade 1 classes within the four school boards the Sudbury Student Services Consortium provides busing services to, including the Rainbow District School Board (RDSB) and Manitoulin, the consortium will be continuing the program.
Renee Boucher, executive director of the SSSC told the Recorder last week, “we tried the pilot busing project for a year and it seemed to go very well with the majority of parents. The boards have agreed that the pilot project will continue.”
As reported previously, Ms. Boucher had met with the directors of the four school boards in its area prior to the start of the school year in the fall of 2017 to discuss the proposals to have any courtesy seats on buses available to students in Grade 1.
She had explained, it’s for students in Grade 1, within one kilometre of walking distance to the school they attend. Under the pilot program parents can apply for their child to be allowed to take one of the seats on the school bus. Once the SSSC receive an application it determines if there is room on the bus run for the student to sit,” said Ms. Boucher.
The SSSC had first looked at this pilot program after a Gore Bay parent had raised the concern in the fall of 2016 that the SSSC should change its policy concerning not busing students to school, who live within 1.6 kilometres of school.
The program will be run for the 2018-2019 school year.
“The pilot busing program is for Grade 1 students that are new walkers to school,” said Ms. Boucher. “If parents want their children to be able to take part in the program they can get in touch with us at the SSSC and we will be able to send a form to apply to take part.”
