Deming board signals tighter school-transport zones, keeps exceptions for IEPs and court orders

Deming Public Schools officials told the board they plan to tighten school transportation zones to make bus routing more efficient, while retaining limited exceptions for students with individualized education plans, court orders and foster-care placements.

The superintendent explained that special-education transportation follows the student’s residence and "we will transport it to the school that they are living in now," and that any routing changes would rely on the address listed in Infinite Campus, the district’s student information system. Staff said two options were under consideration: Option A would preserve annual exception applications for students already out of zone; Option B would narrow turfs and grandfather existing exceptions. Staff recommended Option B to reduce overlapping routes and improve efficiency.

Board members and parents raised concerns about families who depend on out-of-zone transportation to reach babysitters, grandparents or childcare. One parent described safety worries near Bell and other campuses and said that without exceptions some families would face four-hour round trips or be forced to homeschool. District staff acknowledged the confusion that arises when an IEP lists transportation as a service but parents expect out-of-zone routes, and promised clearer guidance to families.

District staff said a short, one-sentence policy amendment to allow limited exceptions would be brought back for formal consideration so the administration can finalize a regulation by mid-April. Officials said that under the new routing software the district will route students based only on the address listed in Infinite Campus, reducing the office-level flexibility to accommodate multiple pick-up points that had been used in the past.

The board did not take a formal recorded vote on a final policy at the meeting but agreed to proceed with drafting the regulation and returning it for approval at an upcoming meeting.