FERGUSON, Mo. — In light of the civil unrest here that has captivated the nation in recent weeks, the Ferguson-Florissant School District will expand its school bus service to make sure students get to school safely.

Previously, buses only picked up students who live outside a 1-mile radius from school. However, the school board decided that bus routes for Griffith Elementary will temporarily discard that rule and pick up students even in close proximity to the school.

The elementary school is in what has been called the “hot zone” of the civil unrest in Ferguson.

“We really want to get the community back to normalcy, and the drivers want to start working again,” Jim Troxel, director of transportation for Ferguson-Florissant School District, told SBF.

With the exception of one street, the bus routes are all clear from police blockades and ready to go for the start of the school year, according to Troxel, who was out checking the routes Thursday morning. The city of Ferguson has been notified and will reportedly have that street clear by the first day of school, which is now slated for Monday, Aug. 25.

The start of the 2014-15 school year was originally to be Aug. 14, but it was pushed back twice for safety reasons.

“The community has done a great job of cleaning the streets,” Troxel said. “Neighboring schools have also offered assistance with transportation. The community has really come together.”