DAYTON — Some parents are worried about how their kids will get to school this year.
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As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, classes start in just about a month for Dayton Public Schools (DPS).
Leaders are still working on a plan to get high school students to class.
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State law now no longer allows students to use the Downtown Dayton RTA bus hub.
News Center 7 got a statement from Greater Dayton RTA. They also posted it on social media.
With the recent change in the state legislation, RTA wants to be clear that we intend to follow all state/federal laws concerning public transportation. RTA currently operates at full staffing capacity to provide public bus routes that serve all of Montgomery County. With a month remaining until the start of the school year, the RTA does not have the staffing, resources, or time to provide direct buses and routes for Dayton High School students.
“RTA wants to be a partner in helping craft a solution to get kids to school but does not have the capacity to restart direct Limited Stop (LS) bus services similar to those we were contracted by Dayton Public Schools (DPS) to provide in 2019,” said Bob Ruzinsky RTA CEO. “RTA faces the same bus driver shortages that most school districts do.”
If parents choose to use the RTA to transport their student(s) to school, RTA offers how to ride classes that cover the benefits of using RTA’s Tapp Pay system. Classes are held on the first Tuesday of every month. Information can be found at www.iriderta.org.
DPS Superintendent Doctor David Lawrence told News Center 7 that he thinks this will impact students and parents.
“This is catastrophic. It’s a direct attack on our high school students. That’s how we see it,” he said.
Doctor Lawrence said it is challenging for both parents and students.
“We get it that there are folks out there who are very serious about getting students from downtown, and we understand,” he said. “The kids aren’t driving themselves, and then we’re expecting parents to transport high school students. This is really, really going to be devastating.”
We will update this story as DPS leaders work on a new plan.
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