150 Stoughton students denied transportation to school

Stoughton families are frustrated after more than 100 students were denied a seat on the school bus this school year.

Stoughton Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Baeta announced Friday that 150 high school students will not receive bus transportation to and from school.

Families took part in a virtual meeting Monday to discuss their concerns about sending their children to school starting Sept. 3. Many parents who spoke said they were working while their children were being dropped off or picked up.

“I’m a single mom, so I don’t have the ability to pick him up, I don’t work from home, I have no choice but to make him take the bus,” a mother of a sixth-grader said at the meeting, according to Boston News 25.

A district spokesperson said more than 50 parents attended the meeting and “we appreciated hearing their concerns, as well as their personal situations as it relates to school transportation.”

The district said it placed students on buses as their applications came in during the month-long registration period. With the increase in students applying for seats this year, about 10% of students were turned away.

“We understand the disappointment and frustration this has caused to families who were not served by the bus,” Baeta wrote. “We feel it is important to explain this situation to all of our families so you can better understand how we got to this point.”

The district received 162 more requests this summer than last school year, providing transportation to 1,379 students out of 1,529 requests. SPS said all elementary students who requested bus transportation were placed on buses, but 75 middle schoolers and 75 high schoolers were not.

The district said it is not required to transport students in grades seven through 12.

Middle and high school students living within a mile of their school are also not eligible for bus transportation, Baeta wrote.

“My daughter is in an individualized education program and I’m worried because letting her walk around is a problem for everyone,” another mother said at the meeting, according to NBC10Boston. “I’m also a working mom.”

Despite an increase in the number of students needing bus transportation, SPS is funding one fewer bus than last school year due to budget constraints, SPS said. The school district operates two additional buses to transport students from hotels and shelters used by the state’s Family Emergency Shelter System, but those are funded by the state.

“It is inaccurate to suggest that the fact that these children receive school transportation is the reason why yours do not,” Baeta wrote. “If we did not receive state funding for students living in hotels or shelters, we would not be able to have these two additional buses.”

A school spokesperson said SPS was reviewing bus rosters for “any discrepancies” and would provide an update on other transportation next week.