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Fall River school committee delays walkers-and-riders policy change after heated public comments about student safety and budget impact
Summary
Public commenters told the school committee proposed changes to the walkers-and-riders transportation policy would reduce eligibility and put children at risk; the committee removed the policy from tonight's vote and later approved a $750,000 add to the FY26 transportation line while discussion continues.
Several parents and community advocates urged the Fall River School Committee on May 12 to reject proposed changes to the district’s transportation policy, saying the revisions would make fewer students eligible for bus service and increase safety risks.
Gabriel Boomer Amoral, a parent and community advocate who said he has five children in the district, told the committee, “This policy would lead to more children walking to school.” Jeffrey Gudrow warned, “Attendance will drop in the classroom.” Both speakers said families without private transportation would be harmed if the policy tightened eligibility.
The superintendent, Dr. Tracy Curley, told the committee the proposed text change is intended to preserve “business as usual” under a new state interpretation of how walking distance must be measured. “If we don’t change the words, we will be changing the policy,” Curley said, explaining that the department of education now requires walking-distance calculations on mapped street routes rather than the historical “as the crow flies” method.
Committee members debated the trade-off between the district’s stated goal to transport students and the projected cost impacts. Several members said they wanted more analysis of how many students would lose eligibility and the attendance effects. After extended discussion the committee voted to withdraw the walkers-and-riders policy item from tonight’s agenda for further work and community input.
On the broader budget question, committee members later moved to add $750,000 to the transportation line for fiscal year 2026 to cover projected costs if changes are not finalized. That amendment passed in the budget votes, while committee members continued to press for clearer data on which students would be affected, where hardship exceptions would apply and how long grandfathering would remain in place.
Committee members and staff outlined next steps: further mapping of walking vs. street-route distances, a written hardship/exemption approach for families in multi-unit housing, and scheduling additional public discussion through the policy subcommittee and future meetings. Several speakers asked the district to combine that work with continued advocacy to state lawmakers about transportation funding.
The committee did not approve new transportation eligibility rules at this meeting; the walkers-and-riders item was formally withdrawn for revision and more analysis.
