By Lane Smith
Beginning next month, a new activity bus will be transporting Lexington City Schools children to after-school activities and field trips while accommodating students in wheelchairs.
The second activity bus will provide rides for small groups going to and from the elementary and middle school, act as an overflow bus during field trips, and help with afternoon shuttle runs for athletes going to Rockbridge County Public Schools. It will also provide accessibility for students in wheelchairs.
“It was a need – it was something that we identified a couple years ago that would really benefit us in a multitude of ways,” White said.
Jason White, director of operations and student services, is working on getting the new activity bus ready to go. Since its arrival on Friday, he said staff took care of the insurance, got tags from the Department of Motor Vehicles, took the bus to the Rockbridge County Department of Fleet Services to go through inspections, and installed a trash can and wheelchair tie-down equipment.
White and the IT department also put together a compilation of videos that staff will be required to watch before operating the bus.
On Friday, staff members can go through training at 12:45 p.m. at Harrington Waddell Elementary School and 2 p.m. at Lylburn Downing Middle School during professional development sessions.
According to White, the bus may be used to transport teachers from the elementary and middle schools back for the training. It will be transporting students starting in March.
The new bus accommodates up to 18 children in six seats, plus one wheelchair if the driver has a commercial driver’s license. Someone with a regular driver’s license can drive the bus only with a maximum of 12 students in four seats, plus two wheelchairs.
The commercial driver’s license (CDL) is a Class B license with school bus and passenger endorsements.
School addresses seat shortage
For the past nine years, LCS has operated with one shuttle bus that transports students to and from Waddell and Lylburn Downing. It is a silver, 59-seat bus that requires a driver with a CDL license.
White said Rockbridge County Public Schools has licensed trainers who put on a few classes that LCS employees can attend to get their CDL.
“They usually have three or four classes a year and they let us know when they’re having them,” White said. “If we have anyone that’s interested, they can jump in with the Rockbridge County trainers.”
White said most grade levels barely fit on the shuttle bus for field trips. There is also an afternoon shuttle bus run for LDMS students who participate in sports at Maury River Middle School or Rockbridge County High School.
The bus often takes two trips because there are so many kids who need to be transported. The new bus will now run alongside the shuttle bus in the afternoon to make the afternoon run more efficient, White said.
Making activities more accessible
Winter “Riven” Poole is a fourth grader at Waddell, and he is in a wheelchair. In the past, Riven has been unable to ride the bus for field trips. His mother, Amber Poole, said Riven is very excited about the new bus.
“He’s one of those kids that thinks buses are exciting and has been wanting to be able to ride a bus pretty much his entire grade school career,” Poole said. “So, this is going to allow him to be just more included, especially on field trips.”
Poole said Riven will also be able to ride the bus from Waddell to LDMS once he is in middle school, given where they live.
Poole said this new bus will have a huge impact on Riven, and she feels strongly about the need for accessibility in public schools and private institutions.
“I’m sure a lot of the other kids that come after him will feel the same way,” Poole said. “It’s something that needs to be addressed everywhere, not just in the public schools.”
Lexington City Manager Tom Carroll and the city council recognized the need for an additional bus in the fall of 2024. Last spring, the city brought it back up, acknowledging what a new bus could do. White said the city offered to purchase the bus out of its budget.
However, LCS had a surplus of $106,000 at the end of their budget cycle, funds that ended up paying for the bus. The district ordered the bus last May, and it was supposed to arrive in October or November but was delayed until last week.
“It was a need – it was something that we identified a couple years ago that would really benefit us in a multitude of ways,” White said. “It’s one of those situations where, you know, we probably won’t truly need it more than 20, 25 times a year, but it’s one of the situations when you need it, you need it.”
