Whereas school bus cuts in Howard County have harmed students and families since the majority were implemented in August 2023, and whereas the cuts were made without any prior public hearing or opportunity for broad public input, we petition the Board of Education to reverse all school bus cuts at least until a full review of Policy 5200 can be completed.

Harms to students and families include:

Two girls who had lost school bus service in Howard County were assaulted on their way to school as they were waiting for a public bus to help get them to school during the week of November 26th. Two high schoolers who had lost school bus service in Howard County were separately robbed at gunpoint as they walked home from school during the week of November 5th. The emotional trauma that these events create are devastating to students and families. In addition, in the superintendent’s 60-day report to the board, tardy arrival rates almost doubled for children who had been newly cut from school bus service.

After incidents described above, school officials advised students to “walk with a buddy or in a group,” but the reality is that the further we make students walk to and from school each day, the more likely that students will have to walk a significant portion of the trip alone.

The memo from school officials also advised that students "Stick to well-traveled streets, avoid shortcuts through wooded areas . . ." Yet many students in Howard County are required on their way to school to use paths through heavily wooded areas, many of which are not well-traveled during school start and release hours. An example of this includes paths stemming from Lake Elkhorn for children traveling to Lake Elkhorn Middle School.

Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest way for children to get to school. School buses help equalize access to education. We therefore advocate for the restoration of school bus service.

How to phase in transportation service:

We ask that transportation for students who were cut from service be phased back in starting in January 2024 with initial prioritization given to the following 4 categories of students:

-       Any elementary school student whose walking route is more than 1 mile from their home address to the school door.

-       Any middle school student whose walking route is more than 1.5 miles from their home address to the school door.

-       Any high school student whose walking route is more than 2.0 miles from their home address to the school door.

-       Any student whose walking route requires a heavily wooded path for an extended distance.

We ask that the remainder of students be phased back in as soon as possible and preferably no later than the HCPSS 2024 spring break.

Background: 

In 2021, Policy 5200 for the Howard County Public School System was fully reviewed per the 6-year policy review cycle with multiple opportunities for public input. No school bus cuts were made. The maximum allowable distance to school bus stops was defined as no more than half a mile from home for students of all grade levels. 

Just a year later, this same policy was changed significantly without any public hearing. School bus service was cut for approximately 3,500 children and the allowable distance to school bus stops was significantly increased. Bus stops can now be even 2 miles away from a child’s home based on student grade level (1 mile away from elementary students, 1.5 miles away for middle school students, 2 miles away for high school students). Prior policy only allowed standard bus stops to be up to a half mile away from student homes regardless of student grade levels.

Despite multiple statements from school officials that change could not be made, over the summer, approximately ONE THOUSAND children had their school bus service restored before the school year started. In the superintendent’s 60-day report, 2,377 children remain cut out of an initial estimate of 3,500. In memos sent over the summer, the superintendent described the return of bus service to some. 

As evidenced by these restorations, change is possible. We also believe that safe transportation to and from school should be a priority for the Howard County Public School System.