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School board approves new transportation policy after months of debate over safety and access
Summary
After intense public comment and a lengthy superintendent briefing, the Wallingford‑Swarthmore board approved Policy 8.10, narrowing district bus drop‑off destinations to reduce what administration described as a predictable safety risk; vote passed 6–2. Families and community partners warned it could cut access to long‑standing after‑school programs.
The Wallingford‑Swarthmore School Board voted 6–2 on March 23 to adopt a revised transportation policy (Policy 8.10) that limits district bus drop‑offs to prescribed, approved locations in an effort the superintendent said would reduce driver distractions and the chance that students are dropped at the wrong site.
Superintendent Dr. Johnson framed the change as a safety measure. He told the board the district’s current, largely unwritten practice of allowing students to ride to multiple different locations across the district creates “a predictable safety risk” and described ongoing operational breakdowns and near‑misses that increase radio traffic and driver distraction. “This is an accident waiting to happen,” he…
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