HCPSSFamilies Must Register for Bus Service
May 16th, 2023
Families whose children are eligible for bus transportation must register through HCPSS Connect Synergy to receive bus service for the 2023-2024 school year. The transportation registration process will help HCPSS more accurately account for the number of students who plan to use buses.
The goal of this process is to identify efficiencies that may provide the opportunity to expand transportation, depending on the availability of buses and drivers and within the funding and contracts currently in place.
The changes to non-transportation areas and transportation registration in Board of Education Policy 5200 were put in place to eliminate the use of double-back bus routes and enable the implementation of later school start times for 2023-2024, keeping in mind the driver shortage that persists. The opening of Guilford Park High School during the 2023-2024 school year along with the existing driver shortage means our bus contractors could face additional pressure to cover all routes. For these reasons, the Student Transportation Policy was amended to create efficiencies and to ensure that HCPSS would be able to support the opening of a new high school and the relevant exemptions and adjustment to school start times while managing the driver shortage.
While there have been calls to revert back to an older version of the policy, doing so would be creating false expectations for families and students for bus services, as we do not believe that our school system or our contractors will be able to staff and support the additional routes necessary.
Families are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Transportation with safety concerns so they can be further evaluated.
Visit https://www.hcpss.org/schools/transportation/registration/ for instructions on how to register students for bus transportation and more information. Families who reside in non-transportation areas are not eligible for bus transportation and do not need to take any action. Find the new non-transportation areas for your school online. Students who receive transportation as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan do not need to register.