We, the parents and caregivers of Youngstown City School District students in grades K through 12, are requesting immediate action to address the district’s transportation crisis. This crisis affects all YCSD students, not only one school, grade level, neighborhood, or group of families, and requires an immediate districtwide response.

High school students are not being provided with proper busing and are being told to walk to a Hub location. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade are facing impractical and unsafe transportation arrangements. Young elementary students are being expected to walk more than two miles, often along routes with no sidewalks, busy roads, dangerous intersections, unsafe neighborhoods, or five to six block walks to assigned bus stops. Even students who are technically assigned busing may still have to travel several blocks to reach an unsafe stop.

These conditions are especially harmful to low income and single parent households, where families may not have a safe adult available, reliable transportation, or the resources to arrange daily rides. Payment in lieu is not a realistic solution because it does not cover the cost of Ubers or transportation services for an entire school year and is not issued weekly. Families may wait until halfway through the school year and again at the end to receive payment.

Students with IEPs and disabilities are also experiencing unmet transportation accommodations and are being classified as impractical. Additionally, buses are failing to arrive, arriving up to an hour late, and leaving students stranded after school when transportation does not show up for the ride home.

We respectfully request an immediate safety review of all walking routes and bus stops, reliable, accessible, and appropriate transportation for every affected student, full compliance with transportation accommodations in IEPs and other disability plans, temporary protections such as crossing guards at dangerous intersections, and coordination between YCSD, the City of Youngstown, and ODOT to develop a Safe Routes to School plan and pursue future funding.

Thank you for taking these urgent concerns seriously. We are asking for a prompt response and meaningful action to ensure every child has safe, dependable access to school.