Board Votes to Declare Bus Routes to Multiple Nonpublic Schools 'Impractical,' Cutting Service for Dozens of Students

What happened

At the July 27, 2026 board meeting, Lakota's administration presented and the board voted on a resolution declaring bus transportation to roughly 12 nonpublic schools (including All Saints, Cincinnati Christian, Montessori Academy, Roger Bacon, and others) 'impractical' under Ohio law, eliminating bus service for an estimated 50+ students. The determination was based on a new ridership threshold (about 20 students per bus) and cost-per-rider analysis. Numerous parents testified that notification letters were sent late (some dated July 14 but not received until July 21-24), leaving families as little as two days to respond, and challenged whether the district followed the state's required six-factor analysis and per-child evaluation.

Why it matters to families

This is a consequential family-facing operating-policy change that immediately removes bus transportation for dozens of students attending nonpublic schools across the district, forcing affected families to arrange alternative transportation with little notice as the school year begins. Parents also raised documented concerns about compliance with Ohio Revised Code transportation-notification statutes (timing, per-child determination, and required documentation), representing a potential legal/procedural risk for the district.

The evidence

Administration stated 'there are 12 schools on that list' for impracticality determinations, citing a $1.2 million total cost if all were eliminated; multiple parents cited notification letters dated July 14 but received July 21-24, with responses due July 28; officials acknowledged a new 20-rider-per-bus threshold used to determine impracticality and discussed the six statutory factors (time/distance, number of pupils, cost, equivalent services, disruption to schedules, and reimbursable alternatives).

The source