LOWER MERION — Lower Merion School District officials have made another change to the district’s walk zones.
During a December school board meeting, Lower Merion Superintendent Steven M. Yanni announced the district was expanding the high school walk zone from one to 1.5 miles. The change was needed because of the new start times and universal full-day kindergarten.
Since the announcement, many parents and students have spoken out against the plan during the monthly school board meetings.
But this week, another change was announced.
In a letter to the school community, Yanni wrote that the district strives to be responsive to community concerns, so he wanted to provide an updated change to the walk zones.
“After reviewing the documentation about hazardous and non-hazardous intersections and roadways in the Township, we believe there are sufficient safe walking routes to school, and that retaining a 1.5-mile walk zone could be implemented safely. That said, we strive to be responsive to the concerns expressed by our community; therefore, we have decided to retain a one-mile walk zone for our high school students for next year,” Yanni wrote in his letter.
Yanni said that Lower Merion is “fortunate to be in a community that is rich in resources.”
But then he added that the resources are not unlimited.
“We have shared time and again the reality of the bus driver shortage impacting Lower Merion and virtually all other districts. While we continue to recruit drivers and have implemented paid training and sign-on bonuses, retaining a substantial workforce is now more challenging than ever. The decision to retain the one-mile walk zone requires compromises elsewhere in the system. For example, some middle school buses will need to run earlier than planned and some high school buses will run later,” Yanni said.
According to Yanni, no middle school students will be picked up before 7 a.m. Some middle school buses might arrive at school at 7:30 a.m. There will be supervision for the students arriving on those buses, but no other students will be allowed into the school before 7:45 a.m.
Some high school buses could arrive close to or even after the 8:30 a.m. start time. Students arriving on those buses will be excused for their late arrivals.
“We will be better positioned to provide more accurate bus timing in early June, when most students have registered, allowing much of the routing work to be complete. As a community, we will need to exercise flexibility, grace and understanding. I trust that we will all meet this challenge,” Yanni said.
Yanni said there will also be a voluntary transportation opt-out that can help with efficiencies in the district’s busing system.
Families that do not live in the walk zones but do not plan on using the buses can let the district know through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The opt-out should be completed by June 30.
“Families who opt-out of transportation do not forfeit their right to transportation and may opt back in at any time. If you opt back in, you must allow up to 10 business days for transportation services to be reinstated. Opt-in requests submitted between June 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024, will be processed after October 1st,” Yanni said.
High school students receiving parking passes will also not be provided with bus transportation.
“The implementation of new programs such as LMSD Smart Start and universal full-day kindergarten requires change and compromise, as we work to balance student health and safety, community priorities and logistical realities. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we do this important work,” Yanni wrote at the end of his letter.
