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Sarasota County Schools outline bus‑registration changes, new tracking app for 2026–27
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Summary
Sarasota County Schools transportation officials said transportation registration will be integrated into school enrollment for 2026–27, stop assignments will be published June 30, and the district will move to the MyRide K12 tracking app; families are asked to register by July 27 and ensure student records and contact details are up to date.
Sarasota County Schools transportation director Dr. Keith Little and deputy director Charlotte Price told listeners on the district podcast that transportation registration for the 2026–27 school year will be handled through the regular school enrollment process and that stop assignments will be published starting June 30.
The change means families will be asked during registration whether they need bus service; that information will feed district planning and the route‑building process. Dr. Little said the district is shifting to the MyRide K12 mobile application, which the transportation office said integrates with district systems to provide real‑time GPS tracking, estimated arrival times and parent notifications when students board. He attributed to the vendor a claim that the app has more than 1,000,000 users nationwide.
Deputy director Charlotte Price described how stops and routes are chosen: priority is given to student safety, traffic patterns, visibility and access. She said stops and routes can change each year to balance loads, adjust schedules and respond to shifts in student enrollment. Price warned that crowding often results when students are not registered and described the district’s typical responses: reassign students to buses with capacity or, if needed, create a new route.
Price and Dr. Little urged families to check the student address and contact information in the district student information system (Focus) and update it through the school registrar if anything has changed; they said incorrect addresses or late updates can affect whether a stop is assigned correctly. The transportation office recommended families register by July 27 to give the district time to finalize assignments before school begins.
On boarding procedures, Price said students will be expected to use a student ID badge when getting on the bus; badges will be distributed at school events before the year starts or on the first day. The district will allow students to board on the first day even without a badge but expects badges to be used thereafter so the system can register who boarded.
Both officials emphasized safety and routine: parents are responsible for getting children safely to and from bus stops, and drivers assume responsibility for students once they board and until drop‑off. For the first days of school, they advised parents to tell children their bus number, rehearse the route to the stop and, for younger children, accompany them to meet the driver on the first day.
Dr. Little said that once assignments are published after June 30 families should look in the MyRide K12 app and on the district transportation webpage for stop details and schedules, and contact the transportation office or school registrar if they do not see an assignment. The transportation office pledged continued outreach over the summer and provided the district website and phone contacts for questions.
The podcast closed with a reminder that families will receive further updates through district channels and the transportation page as the district finalizes routes and app access over the summer.
