OPRF District 200 Board to Consider Mass Transit Exclusion Resolution on September 24

The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education is scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 24, 2026, and will be asked to approve a resolution concerning the district's use of the Mass Transit Exclusion.

According to the Board's agenda, the resolution states:    “When a district has a public mass transit system within its boundaries, the district may elect to certify to the State Board of Education that adequate transportation for the public is available for students and not offer free pupil transportation.”

The agenda also states that Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 currently uses the mass transit exemption due to the availability of public mass transit transportation.

The Board's next step is to consider and approve the resolution at its September 24 meeting.

I am asking students, parents, families, and community members to speak up before that decision is made and sign this petition urging the Board to reject the exclusion and listen to the needs of OPRF families.   

To the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education:

We urge the Board of Education to reject the proposed Mass Transit Exclusion Resolution scheduled for consideration on September 24, 2026.

The existence of public transportation in our community does not, by itself, demonstrate that it provides safe, reliable, and adequate transportation for District 200 students.

This is particularly important for students in the extremes of Oak Park and River Forest who rely on PACE bus service to travel to and from Oak Park and River Forest High School. Students and families have experienced delays, long waits, cancellations, service disruptions and the famous "ghost buses" that promise arrival but never appear. Routes can be cancelled with little or no warning, and "ghost buses" are regularly on the schedule. When this happens, students can be left waiting without a dependable way to get to school or get home, causing parents to scramble to secure rides for our children, including in inclement weather.

For students, transportation is not simply a matter of whether a bus route exists. It is whether that transportation works consistently when students need it.

A route that appears on a schedule but is cancelled without warning—or a scheduled bus that never arrives—is not a reliable transportation option for a student who is expected to be at school on time or get home safely.

This concern extends beyond the regular school day. Many District 200 students participate in athletics, clubs, activities, tutoring, academic support, and other programs before and after school. Transportation must account for these schedules and the practical realities students and families face.

Before eliminating or reducing district-provided transportation based on the availability of public transit, the Board should establish—using actual, student-specific evidence—that public transportation is sufficiently safe, reliable, accessible, and adequate for the students who would be affected.

We therefore call on District 200 to:

• Reject or postpone the Mass Transit Exclusion Resolution.
• Examine the actual reliability and availability of PACE service, particularly for students traveling between Southeast Oak Park, Northwest River Forest and OPRF. 
• Investigate the frequency and impact of PACE route cancellations without warning and scheduled buses that fail to arrive.
• Consider documented and firsthand student experiences involving delays, missed buses, long waits, cancellations, rerouting, and service disruptions.
• Consider the impact of inconsistent busing on attendance and tardies.
• Evaluate transportation needs before school, after school, and during extracurricular activities, not only during the regular school day.
• Consider whether available public transit schedules realistically align with student arrival and dismissal times.
• Make public the evidence and analysis supporting the conclusion that public transportation is adequate for the students who would be affected.
• Include meaningful input from students, families, and staff before making changes to student transportation.

A bus route on a map is not the same thing as reliable student transportation.

District 200 should not use the existence of public transit as a substitute for district-provided transportation unless there is clear evidence that the available service actually meets the needs of the students who depend on it.

We ask the Board to put students first and ensure that transportation decisions are based on the actual needs and experiences of District 200 students and families.

SIGN THE PETITION

By signing this petition, I am asking the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education to reject or postpone the Mass Transit Exclusion Resolution until an adequate study can be conducted evaluating the reliability and access of transportation for all students.