North Albany transportation updates

The following message is from North Albany Middle School Principal Andrea Piper:

Dear families:

I am writing to let you know about changes we are making to our afternoon transportation services to address elevated ridership and safety concerns that we have experienced this fall on some of our CDTA buses. These changes will take effect Monday, Dec. 2.

• We are adding one new afternoon tripper bus operated by First Student.
  • First Student will operate this new bus as CDTA does not have additional capacity.
• The new First Student tripper bus will be designated as our Yellow route. It will function just like a CDTA tripper, with a specifically designated route. 
• Eligible students currently using our CDTA Blue, Purple and Red afternoon routes will be assigned to ride one of those lines specifically, or the new Yellow route.
• Student IDs will be designated with a sticker of the corresponding color to identify their afternoon bus. 
  • Students assigned to the Blue, Purple, Red or new Yellow route must ride that bus.
• North Albany staff will check IDs when students board afternoon buses to be sure they are using their assigned route.
• The new Yellow line will have two First Student bus monitors each day. The CDTA Red line also will have 2-3 North Albany staff members serving as monitors.

We held assemblies with our sixth-grade and eighth-grade students on Wednesday to discuss these planned changes, and to review our behavior expectations on all buses that serve our school. We also will meet with our seventh-graders before the break to discuss these changes and expectations. 

We appreciate your partnership in reviewing these updates at home with your students, and in reinforcing the message about the importance of following behavior expectations to ensure a safe ride for everyone. Please contact me at school if you have any questions about this matter. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.