HOUSTON — The Houston Independent School District is in the process of finalizing bus routes for specific students who have opted for in-person learning.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, transportation services will be limited to special education, homeless, elementary and specialty school students starting Oct. 19.
Under the HISD Communicable Disease Plan, buses will run at half capacity - which means 26 students on each bus.
Bus services will not be immediately available to high school students, but the district said it could be provided later.
“Our goal has always been to provide students with safe and reliable transportation to and from school,” Transportation Services General Manager John Wilcots IV said. “That is still our mission and we have worked hard to develop routes for as many students as we can safely accommodate.”
Bus riders will be required to wear masks, sanitize their hands and scan their bus badges upon boarding. They are also required to maintain social distancing.
Students will be promoted to sit one per seat. Seats will be filled from the back to front as students board to limit contact. Additionally, four to six bus windows will be open whenever possible to help with ventilation.
Bus drivers will be required to sanitize the bus after every student drop off. According to Wilcot, buses will be deep cleaned and disinfected at the end of each week.
Parents of students taking a bus to school should be notified about assigned routes next week.