FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Tuesday, with just over three weeks until the School District of Lee County welcomed back students, the district was reminding families that buses will no longer drive students directly to their after-care programs.
The changes will impact elementary and middle school students.
Fox 4 first told you about this back in Februarywhen the school district said creating smaller enrollment zones would reduce wait times for kids that ride the bus.
The changes influencing non-profits like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, where CEO Denise Gergley said the change will have an immediate impact.
“We know it's going to reduce access to our clubs, we know that,” said Gergley.
On Tuesday, it was a realization Gergly said the district used to do direct drop-offs at some after-school locations.
The School district on its website says, for the 2023-2024 school year, the District will adhere to School Board Policy 8600 and not route stops to any aftercare facility.
District leaders have told Fox 4 they hope the new routes will reduce bus-stop wait times and improve getting students to school on time.
“So I started looking at what are my transportation options,” said Gergley.
What Gergley said she found was the ability for her program to purchase vans that can pick kids up directly from school or from a nearby bus stop to one of their locations.
“I actually met with transportation last week to try and understand where are your tentative bus stops and what proximity they are to our clubs,” said Gergley.
The School District of Lee County says on its website that there is a possibility that an established stop on an established route may be near a daycare.
In this case, the school district said students, in theory, could ride that bus to the after-school program if these four conditions were met:
- The request is for a permanent, everyday basis.
- There is an established route and stop in existence that shall fulfill the request.
- The parent/guardian understands that requests shall be granted on a space-available basis and permission may be revoked later.
- Requests for this alternate school transportation must be submitted in writing to the principal for approval. As another alternative, all elementary schools are offering before and after-school care at a uniform cost across the District.
Gergley said she is exploring those options.
“We actually have a letter that is going out to parents today and then we are going to be setting up meetings in our clubs next week so that we can help parents navigate,” said Gergley.
Click hereto connect with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County.
