School Board to discuss Fernley bus policy Tuesday

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The Lyon County School Board is scheduled to discuss Fernley school bus routes at this month’s meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dayton Intermediate School.

The district increased the walk zone to Fernley High School to three miles this year after the completion of the Safe Routes to School pathway on the east side of U.S. 95A. Its walk zone for high schools in the county was three miles, but the district hadn’t been able to follow the policy in Fernley because of a lack of a walking path.

With the new walking path, the district adapted its bus routes. According to the district, 250 students would have been within the three-mile walk zone. At the July meeting, some Board members were interested in making all secondary schools a two-mile walk zone, as it is for middle and intermediate schools, but decided that would make minimal impact, and more than 150 students would still be within the two-mile walk zone to Fernley High School.

In addition, reducing the walk zone to two miles would require an additional two or three bus routes, which the district says it doesn’t have the drivers for.

 Instead, the district created a Hub model for pickup of secondary schools in Fernley, which reduces the number of routes. The district says it was the only way it could continue to provide transportation to all eligible students.

Many parents have complained about some of the hub locations.

The reason this only impacts the secondary schools is because students attending FHS, SMS, and FIS come from all over Fernley. The elementary schools are able to maintain their typical routes because they are bused from smaller zoned areas to each school.

The Board will also hear a report about its staffing for the 2022-23 school year.

Parents who are unable to attend the meeting in Dayton can watch on You Tube. The District posts a link to the meeting on its website a few minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin.