Some Pa. schools are cutting off charter students’ access to yellow buses after court ruling

In Pennsylvania, some school districts are considering cutting off access to yellow buses for students attending charter schools, following a recent court ruling. Darryl Canady, founder of LIFE Male STEAM Academy, received an email from Woodland Hills School District two weeks before classes began, informing him that his students would no longer receive traditional bus rides. Instead, the district would provide Pittsburgh Regional Transit cards for the more than 140 students.

Districts in Pennsylvania are legally required to provide free transportation to most charter school students living within their boundaries, but rising costs and a shortage of bus drivers have made this service increasingly burdensome. In a long-awaited ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court allowed school districts to end bus service for charter students, as long as they provided alternative free transportation, such as the bus passes Canady's students are set to receive.

While public transit is already used in some urban areas, charter school advocates argue that the lack of infrastructure in rural and suburban regions can limit the safety of students using public transit and lengthen commute times. They also claim that school districts can use the ruling to pressure parents to keep their children in traditional classrooms rather than switching to charters. Pennsylvania reimburses roughly half of a district's transportation costs on average through a subsidy program.