Lansing School District: Bus provider, high school start time changing

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Lansing School District is dropping the traditional bus routes in exchange for a new deal with CATA.

Superintendent Ben Shuldiner announced plans Friday for busing changes for Lansing High School Students, beginning in the upcoming school year.

“The Lansing School District is incredibly excited to announce a brand-new transportation plan that will better serve the students of Lansing as well as the broader community,” said superintendent Ben Shuldiner. “Our 9th through 12th-grade students who qualify for transportation will now receive a CATA bus pass, giving them unlimited rides to and from school and after-school activities, jobs and friends and family.”

However, Dean transportation will not be available for any 9-12 high school students.

The CATA pass allows students unlimited access to the Greater Lansing CATA bus system routes going anyway, not just to school and back. In addition, parents will receive one CATA unlimited bus pass for a family member. The goal is to allow flexible transportation to and from school from any CATA bus stop in the greater Lansing area, afterschool extracurricular activities or sports, to and from a job, as well as access on nights and weekends.

Superintendent Shuldiner stressed that high school start times, having been a struggle for students and families in the past, were a significant factor in the decision. He said the new bus options allows the district to change these start times to something closer to the average work day.

“This change will also allow us to move the start time from 7:25 to 8 a.m. this year for all high school students,” Shuldiner said. “While we understand this will be a change for some, we are excited about the opportunities this will bring our students, families, and community.”

Some parents watching News 10′s live coverage of the announcement said they loved the idea, while others expressed concern over the fact that students will be asked to ride on public transportation which adults with no connections to the school may also ride.

That livestream is embedded below.

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