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Board raises safety concerns over van-heavy routes and approves transportation contract items
Summary
Board members questioned why the district relies heavily on small vans for student transport and noted daily rates are comparable to larger buses; administrators cited IEP and out‑of‑district needs and pledged a routing and driver review, while the board approved bus upgrades and driver additions.
A board member raised pointed safety and cost questions about the district’s transportation mix at Tuesday’s Athens Area School District meeting, arguing the district uses too many small vans and should rely more on larger school buses.
"Statistically speaking, the vans are not a safe mode of transportation for students period," the board member said, noting the district appeared to have about 24 large buses, 18 vans and four small buses in use and that vans often carry six or fewer students while costing similar daily fees to a bus. The board member urged the district to use existing route‑planning tools to reduce the number of vans on the road.
District staff responded that some van use is required under individual education plans (IEPs) and for out‑of‑district provider runs, and that administrators and transportation staff (including Mr. Moer) are working to reduce van reliance; staff said the number of vans had fallen from about 25 to 18 in the past year and that routing and driver limitations factor into vehicle assignments. Officials said some changes may take effect for the 2026–27 school year.
After discussion, the board approved the transportation items on the agenda, including contractor daily rates, bus upgrades and additions to the driver list; roll call recorded a majority in favor with one recorded 'no.' The board directed staff to examine routing and driver availability and report back.
Why it matters: transportation method affects student safety, district costs and daily operations. The board’s request to evaluate routing and vehicle assignments could change how special‑needs and out‑of‑district runs are scheduled.
Next steps: transportation staff will review contractor daily rates and routing options and present results to the board for potential changes ahead of the 2026–27 year.
