STOUGHTON — Stoughton Public Schools officials announced in an email to families that they could no longer provide 150 students with transportation for the upcoming school year after they were forced to cut one of their school buses.
One parent, whose child was affected by the cut, says the decision has left families panicking.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Christina Marie, whose youngest child will be a freshman at Stoughton High School.
“We live three miles from the school, and we live off Route 138. I’m not planning on having our kid walk that road before the sun rises just so he can get to school on time.”
Affected families were notified of the cut in an email sent by school officials on Aug. 14. The first day of school for all Stoughton Public Schools students is Wednesday, Sept. 4, leaving families less than a month to figure out alternative arrangements.
“We’re upset over the fact that they didn’t prepare us sooner,” Marie said. “They abandoned 150 children and I want to know for what?”
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Why was the school bus cut?
According to the email, the decision to cut one of the school buses was due to a lack of funding.
“The school district budget for FY25 has had to deal with $2.3 million in cuts from the prior year,” school officials wrote. “As part of the budget cuts, we had to cut one school bus,” they continued.
According to that email, the decision was made to use funds to prioritize "keeping teachers in the classroom."
They went on to write that cutting the school bus was their only option.
“We reviewed and looked at every possible option (including creating new routes) in our attempt to provide transportation to all student applicants,” they wrote.
By cutting one school bus, 150 students were left without transportation for the fall.
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Schools will update families Friday morning
The Superintendent of Stoughton Public Schools could not be reached for comment at the time of this article’s publication.
According to Stoughton Public Schools spokesperson Jeffrey Pickette, the district will be sending a message to families Friday morning.
A virtual meeting will be scheduled for early next week where families can get more information and ask questions, he said. Details about the virtual meeting will be provided on Friday.
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Who is eligible for busing under Mass. law?
According to the Massachusetts Department of Education transportation policy , all students in grades K-six who reside more than two miles from their school and who reside more than one mile from their nearest school bus stop are entitled to free transportation to and from public schools. All students K-12 who attend regional schools, which does not apply to Stoughton, are also eligible.
What is Stoughton's school bus policy?
Stoughton Public Schools says they follow the state requirements for transporting students, providing free transportation to students in grades K-six who live more than two miles from the school they are entitled to attend, according to the school’s student transportation policy and guidelines .
Per the school’s guidelines, all families, even those with students who are guaranteed transportation, must submit a bus application to get a seat on a bus.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: ‘Families left panicking’: Why 150 Stoughton students won’t get transportation this fall
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