Rome School District Extends Parent Transportation Survey Until Tuesday

The Rome City School District has extended its transportation survey until Tuesday.

The original deadline had been Friday.

Officials say so far, 60 percent of the school community has responded to the survey, with a reduction in student riders by five-percent.

Superintendent Peter Blake says every percentage of ridership they can decrease will assist in reducing the number of buses needed and will help solve some of the problems the district has been facing with bus driver shortages to begin with.

Blake says the five-percent reduction in student riders isn’t enough to change the school’s remote plans for his week but may change future plans.

Rome schools switched to online learning this week after a number of school bus drivers tested positive for COVID-19.

Here are some important points for remote learning:

• Daily instructional schedules will follow the traditional in-person bell schedule.
• All pre-k programs will continue to operate in-person (the early childhood program does not use school transportation).
• Supported Learning students and general education students who attend full-day out-of-district programs will continue to be transported to their programs on a daily basis.
• Supported Learning students from RFA who attend half-day programs at BOCES will be notified in the near future regarding transportation to their programs.
• CTE students from RFA who attend BOCES programs half-day may continue to attend their BOCES program in-person, if they are able to self-transport.
• Grab and Go meals will be available at all elementary school buildings each school day from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Student athletes will be provided information in the near future regarding transportation to/from home for after school practices and competitions.
• All staff will be reporting to work through the duration of this event and teachers will instruct students from their classrooms.
• All extra-curricular building activities can continue to operate throughout the duration of this event.

Rome parents can take the transportation survey at romecsd.org.