More than 2,500 students will have new options to get to school starting Feb. 20. That’s because the Washoe County School District is changing its transportation to reduce the distance students have to walk to buses and schools.
The district’s board of trustees reduced elementary school walk zones from 1.25 miles to one mile and reduced middle school walk zones from 2.25 miles to two miles. High school walk zones remain unchanged at three miles. The changes mean an additional 2,600 students who are not currently eligible for transportation services will be added to the routes under the new system.
“More buses are picking up more students because, under the new system, the walk zones are shorter,” said district spokesperson Vickie Campbell. “Elementary school students who live one mile or more from their school will now get bus service.
Every student who rides the bus to and from school will continue to ride, but that means pick-up and drop-off times and locations will change. Students may also ride different-numbered buses.
“We will be communicating the new information to our families via the usual channels in the next several weeks, and we look forward to welcoming more students onto our buses when we start the new system on Tuesday, Feb. 20,” said Scott Lee, director of transportation for WCSD.
Families may visit www.washoeschools.net/transportation for information. They can also call the WCSD Transportation Department at 775-337-7769.
