Starting on October 25, the Linganore High School (LHS) bus policy changed. Students will no longer be allowed to ride a friend’s bus, even with parental permission.
According to assistant principal Raeda Zietoon, “It [the policy] was not a change; it was actually in place, but there was more leniency during our return from Covid. Transportation reminded us that we should only be approving bus sharing rides in extreme emergencies.”
Although this restriction may be lifted in an emergency situation, students have mixed feelings about this shift, given they have known no difference during their time in high school. Students without access to another mode of transportation may be disappointed in not being able to spend time socializing with their friends after school.
“I think it [the policy] should stay the same, because people will be mad, and they can’t drive to their friends’ houses,” said freshman Sanjay Bhattacharya.
However, FCPS shared one of the unintended consequences of a seemingly immaterial policy. According to FindOutFirst, “Inviting friends home on the bus makes it hard for schools and bus drivers to account for students and can cause bus capacity problems.” Zeitoon shared that Linganore would receive 4-8 requests per day.
Many LHS buses are already filled to capacity. Having students ride on a bus that was not assigned to transport them can cause buses to run out of space. It is against state law not to provide a seat for every student riding a bus (see FCPS policy 441.6).
This is precisely the issue some students are experiencing on LHS buses.
“There are people sitting in the aisles,” said senior Margaret Malone.
It’s a regular thing, especially for higher populated areas,” senior Mackenzie Baker said. “It is not allowed, and they need to limit the number of students who ride the bus if they don’t have appropriate accommodations. We need more buses.
The new bus policy still allows for exceptions in an emergency situation. In these instances, students may be able to ride a friend’s bus. To follow through in this situation, a number of steps must be taken in advance.
According to Zietoon, an email from parents of both students must be turned into the Attendance Office by 10 a.m. of the day the student will need to ride a different bus. The email must include both students’ names and bus numbers. The student will be issued a pass to use to get on the designated bus once the request is approved by the administrator.
This change was prompted by the policy of the transportation department at FCPS, available here.
