An education think tank is urging Ohio lawmakers to strengthen transportation rules for students attending charter and private schools through the state’s expanding school choice programs.
Ohio law has required school districts for decades to provide transportation for resident K-8 students, including those attending charter or private schools. The policy allows families to choose schools that fit their children without diminishing access to school buses.
“For over a half century, Ohio has sought to ensure that every student who needs a ride to and from school gets one – no matter their school of choice,” says the report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
State law generally requires districts to transport resident K-8 students unless the child lives within two miles of the school or if the trip would take more than 30 minutes. Supporters say the policy helps working families who rely on buses to get children to school each day while allowing one bus to serve an entire neighborhood.
But the report argues some districts have increasingly avoided those responsibilities.
