We believe by working together our students, our schools, and our city are stronger. Please email any suggestions or input you have to [email protected]. Thank you for your support of Roanoke City Public Schools!
Transportation Recommendations
The School Board has scheduled a Workshop for Thursday, December 8th at 3 p.m. in the Media Center of the Central Administration building on Douglass Avenue. This Workshop will be live-streamed on the RCPS Facebook page and a recording will also be available on Facebook following the meeting. No vote will be taken at this meeting. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the School Board to hear and discuss the Transportation Work Group’s recommendations. It is important to note, the Work Group is bringing forward numerous recommendations, including the options discussed at the November 14th School Board Meeting.
The School Board will accept feedback on all recommendations presented at the December 8th Workshop by emailing [email protected]. Additionally, there will be the opportunity for public comment at the December 13th School Board Meeting, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. at William Fleming High School.
During the November 14 School Board meeting, the Transportation Work Group's preliminary recommendations were presented to the board. These include:
- Option 1: Moving to a three-bell system in January. Currently on the two-bell system, there are 287 total bus routes, 144 per bell. Durham School Services currently employs 122 drivers. Moving to a three-bell system would require a total of 96 drivers per bell, which would be more manageable. The exact three-bell schedule is not yet determined, but a potential schedule could be:
• All but four elementary schools* would begin at 7:15 a.m. and dismiss at 2 p.m.
• Middle schools and the remaining elementary schools would begin at 8:15 a.m. and dismiss at 3 p.m.
• High schools and programs would begin at 9:15 a.m. and dismiss at 4 p.m.
*The four elementary schools would be chosen based on the number of routes compared to number of drivers.
- Option 2: Keeping start and dismissal times the same but opening doors earlier so parents could drop-off students earlier. This option does not address the concern of late buses in the afternoon.
Click here for a recap of the board meeting presentation.
Boundary Study
The School Board has retained Cooperative Strategies to conduct a boundary study to assess RCPS school zones. The study will include multiple steering committee meetings, community meetings, and a boundary survey. Cooperative Strategies has created a website for the community to view important information, dates, and resources throughout this process.
Click here to learn more about this process, which will include community feedback.
Virginia Department of Education Indicator 8 Parent/Guardian Involvement Survey
Each school year the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is required to report to the U.S. Department of Education the "Percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities." The deadline to submit the survey is December 16, 2022.
English Version of the 2021-22 Indicator 8 Parent Survey
Versión en español de la Encuesta de Padres del Indicador 8 2021-22