Closed SAISD schools will serve as bus stops for students, district says

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Independent School District will welcome students back to class Tuesday, and some busing changes are expected.

The district said a large number of its students will now attend a new school within the district after more than a dozen schools were closed.

The closures were part of SAISD’s rightsizing plan, which it says is intended to help the district use its resources more efficiently.

These closed school campuses now serve as bus stops for students attending a new school, including most of the district’s preschool children.

Nathan Graf, executive director of transportation, said parents and students are already familiar with the locations, making the campuses convenient for parents.

When those campuses closed, most of the district’s preschool centers also closed, according to Graf. As a result, the district no longer has buses dedicated exclusively to preschoolers.

Preschool children now ride on elementary school buses equipped with built-in car seats.

“These are small miniature car seats that are integrated into the bus seat. And then there is a small three-point seat belt that goes around our children,” Graf said.

To ease parents’ worries, Graf said elementary school buses carrying preschool children will be equipped with chaperones. Additionally, Graf said parents will be reminded to fill out the district’s preschool attendance form for their little bus riders if they haven’t already done so.