HOUSTON – More than a week since a Cy-Fair ISD middle school student was hit by a truck while riding their bicycle to school, the district is now making some changes to its transportation policy.
We first told you about 12-year-old Jordin Brooks last week, when she was hurt while riding to school.
PREVIOUS: ‘Thought I was gonna die:’ Cy-Fair middle school student hit while biking to school
Starting next Monday, however, the district will expand its radius for bus pickup to middle school students, who don’t have a safe way to get to school.
KPRC 2’s T.J. Parker spoke with Brooks’ family Friday morning to get their thoughts on these new changes, coming up in our 6 a.m. broadcast.
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Meanwhile, our Gage Goulding reached out to Cy-Fair ISD’s Assistant Superintendent Leslie Francis for clarification via emailed questions. Here is the full exchange:
Can you confirm that the radius for bus pickup will be changing for all Cy-Fair middle and high school students on Monday (4/28) to 1-mile instead of the previous 2-mile radius?
No, eligibility for CFISD transportation services remains as one or more miles for elementary students and two or more miles for secondary students. Transportation is provided under defined hazardous traffic conditions for elementary students living within one mile of their home campus and secondary students living within two miles of their home campus.
Beginning next week, the district will be changing the eligibility of many of our middle school students based on a proposed change to our 2024-2025 Transportation Plan. This change would extend eligibility to middle school students who live within two miles but whose path to school would include walking along a moderate to heavily traveled thoroughfare without a safe walking path.
If so, can you please explain why the radius is changing and what may have influenced that change?
Our leadership team and Board of Trustees have actively taken steps throughout the year to address community concerns regarding areas ineligible for transportation. Additionally, CFISD has experienced a substantial deficiency in the number of available bus drivers. Positive developments throughout the year have included extensive collaboration with Precincts 3 and 4 to install additional sidewalks surrounding many of our schools and a Board-approved increase in the bus driver pay rate in November. Due to the competitive new pay rate, CFISD is better aligned with current market conditions for CDL drivers, and we have experienced a significant increase in applications. New hires have completed CDL training and are being assigned routes. At current staffing levels, we are able to provide additional services to many of our middle school students using the proposed change to our Transportation Plan as a guide.
Can you also provide how parents/students are being notified that busing is available?
Households in these reinstated routes were notified of eligibility via SchoolMessenger.
KPRC 2 will continue to make updates to this story as more information becomes available.
