MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County School District has voted Tuesday to end a controversial school bus policy.
Students who lived within two miles of their school, a busing radius that is not eligible for state funding, could pay a fee to ride the bus.
The program will end in the new school year, affecting about 725 students.
Students living in areas that are too dangerous to walk to school will still be able to ride the bus, the district said.
A district spokeswoman says students who choose to attend a school other than their home-zoned school are responsible for their own transportation, as are students who live less than two miles from their home-zoned school and do not fall under a hazardous walking conditions exemption.
She adds, under the board’s decision, the students who will be eligible for transportation next school year are students who live more than two miles from their home-zoned school and those students who qualify for a hazardous walking conditions exemption in alignment with the criteria established by the state.
The district is also ending the policy that grandfathered in students who were already riding that bus until they graduated from their school.
If parents have questions about their child’s eligibility, they can contact the Transportation Department at 772-219-1287.