District to implement tiered bus scheduling system

Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, the Indian River (Del.) School District will implement a tiered transportation system that will create new daily starting and ending times for several district schools.

The district created the system to accommodate an increase in student enrollment and the rollout of full-day kindergarten, which have put a strain on the transportation system in recent years. The system will also reduce bus overcrowding and allow for student growth at all schools.

The new system was approved by the Indian River Board of Education on June 16.

Under the new plan, district schools will be divided into “First Start” and “Second Start” categories with different starting and ending times for each group.

The school day for First Start schools will run from 7:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Buses will arrive between 7:25 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and depart between 2:35 p.m. and 2:38 p.m.

The school day for Second Start schools will run from 8:35 a.m. until 3:20 p.m. Buses will arrive between 8:15 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. and depart between 3:25 p.m. and 3:28 p.m.

All district schools will have a standard school day of six hours and 45 minutes.

The system will reduce the number of elementary students on a single bus to between 50 and 55. The number of secondary students on a bus will be reduced to between 38 and 44.

All district high schools and middle schools will also have early start times like most secondary schools in Delaware.