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ransporting about 20 million pupils to and from school each year continues to challenge school districts around the U.S. But if students live in rural
areas, are experiencing homelessness, have special needs, or are subject to other inordinate circumstances, school districts are obligated to provide them adequate transportation to and from school. This obligation can be especially challenging amid many school districts not having enough school bus drivers to provide service. The result is finding and alternate means of transport, a controversial subject for many because of the safety implications. This has prompted some states to reshape their policies and school districts to embrace alternate transportation methods using small- er vehicles and vans, either contracted via a third-party company or operating them in- house, to meet such scenarios.
Significant, Expensive and Challenging A significant population of students residing in
rural locations must be transported to and from school. Those numbers are also on the rise. According to a 2023 report sponsored by the
National Rural Education Association, about 7.3 million public school students are enrolled in rural school districts—more than one in every seven students across the U.S. Transporting such students can be expensive. “Rural student transportation costs are high,
with an average of $11.09 spent on instruction for every dollar spent on transportation. Com- pare that with non-rural districts that spend $14.93 on instruction for every dollar on trans- portation,” the report states. Add to this a growing population of homeless
families who require transportation for their children. According to The U.S. Housing and Urban Developments 2023 Assessment Report to Congress, over 653,000 people in the U.S were homeless, about one-third of which, or 186,100, have children. The report also noted that the number of
people in families with children who were experiencing homelessness increased by more than 25,000 people, or 16 percent, between 2022 and 2023, ending a downward trend of families experiencing homelessness that began in 2012. The overall increase in the number of fami- lies with children experiencing homelessness
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