New Columbus City Schools bus routes are beginning to be mailed to families
Columbus City Schools has begun mailing out the new school bus route schedules to families it hopes will correct numerous problems and complaints the district has had since the start of this school year.
"Parents are receiving this new information in the mail as we speak,” Scott Varner, executive director of family and student engagement with the district, told the Board of Education during its meeting Tuesday evening. “Please start watching your mailboxes if you haven’t received information in the mail yet.”
More:Columbus City School Board 'really confident' about new bus routes
Every student who receives school bus transportation from Columbus City Schools — including charter and nonpublic private school students — will get a new bus driver, new times for pickup and drop-off, and possibly a new bus stop location when school resumes in January.
Columbus charter and nonpublic schools return to school after winter break on Jan. 2 and 3 and Columbus City Schools returns on Jan. 4.
The changes are the result of hundreds of complaints about the current bus routing system from both district and nondistrict families. Columbus City school officials have blamed the shortage of school bus drivers nationwide and problems with new software that have forced it to return to its old software to help develop a solution.
More:Columbus City Schools to change all bus routes, blames driver shortage, software 'misstep'
Under the new reconfigured system, there are 526 routes with 65 being outsourced to contractors, said district spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant.
The district has 544 drivers on staff, but only 510 are actively available to drive, and the transportation department also has 20 supervisors to cover routes if needed, she said.
“Our transportation team is undertaking an unprecedented mid-year action to update all bus routes,” Superintendent Talisa Dixon said. “It could be a minor change or it could be a major change as we try to get more students on fewer buses and provide more reliable service."
Busing charter and nonpublic school students
Columbus City Schools transports approximately 14,198 charter and nonpublic school students daily, Bryant said.
“Our district takes seriously that state-mandated responsibility to transport all students, even if they don’t attend Columbus City Schools, and the transportation (department) is trying to work collaboratively with our charter and nonpublic school partners to resolve that disconnect,” Varner said.
More:Columbus City, Reynoldsburg City school districts scramble to solve major busing issues
He said the district is sharing the new route information with administrators from charter and nonpublic schools.
The district had previously suggested in a release that some charter and nonpublic schools served by CCS bus transportation might want to consider changing or adjusting their starting times because of the complexity of busing so many students.
Board supports ending flavored tobacco sales
In action during the meeting, the school board unanimously passed a resolution to support the Coalition to End Tobacco Targeting’s initiative to end the sale of flavored tobacco, such as bubblegum, cherry dynamite, and cotton candy.
“To me, (flavored tobacco) is an intentionally targeted threat to the health and wellness of young people,” board member Michael Cole said.
The Coalition to End Tobacco Targeting represents approximately 125 community groups, public health advocacy organizations and faith institutions. They include the Columbus Urban League, YWCA Columbus and PrimaryOne Health, an organization that connects patients with accessible healthcare resources and providers.
In 2019, 29.8% of high school students in Ohio used electronic vape products at least once in the past 30 days, according to the Truth Initiative, a national nonprofit public health organization that opposes tobacco and nicotine products.
High school renamed
The school board also approved a resolution to rename a high school in the district beginning with the start of the 2023-2024 school year next fall.
Columbus North International High will be renamed to Columbus International High School, which was the school's original name. The change is happening because it is no longer located at the North High School historical site on East Arcadia Avenue.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus City Schools hopes new bus routes being mailed solves problems
