Sweet Home to restore after-school buses; five high-school late buses planned starting Oct. 2

District officials announced the return of expanded after-school transportation, citing a revised start/stop schedule and work by the transportation department to increase runs despite a driver shortage.

Superintendent Dr. Genestri said the district will restore many pre-COVID after-school bus runs. Key elements staff announced:

- Five late buses departing the high school at 4:15 p.m., five days per week, starting Oct. 2. - Four middle-school buses departing at 4:15 p.m., five days per week, starting Oct. 2. - Two after-school buses per elementary building, four days per week, starting Oct. 2, with those elementary buses departing at 4:15 p.m. - Three elementary band and orchestra buses beginning Sept. 22 to transport students to middle-school rehearsals; after rehearsals, three buses will return students home. - After-school detention buses at the high school and middle school will begin immediately and run five days per week.

Transportation leadership and staff were credited for adjusting routes and runs to the district’s new bell schedule. The superintendent said the changes were made possible by redistributing runs to match staggered start times and by recruiting and converting some current aides to driver roles; the district reported a current driver pool in the “neighborhood of about 58–60” and said recruiting remains active.

Board members and staff described the changes as a “game changer” for extracurricular participation and noted the district will finalize route schedules and publish them to families as registrations stabilize.