To better balance family needs with student safety, the High Prairie School Division (HPSD) Board of Trustees is changing how it handles alternate school bus drop-offs.

At their May 19 meeting, the board discussed charging a new fee for students who need a ride to a consistent second location, like a day home or a grandparent’s house. At the same time, the board agreed to buy longer stop arms for more buses to stop drivers from illegally passing them while kids are loading or unloading.

In the past, managing different drop-off spots has been a huge headache for the division. Tracking daily changes means constant coordination between school secretaries, the transportation department, and bus drivers. To make things easier and safer, the division is launching an annual bus pass for riders who need a different drop-off. The fee will be $350 a year per student, or $875 a year for a family, with the option to pay monthly.

There are strict rules for the new service. The alternate drop-off has to be one consistent spot for the whole school year, and it must be on an existing bus route. Parents also need to lock in this location when they sign up.

“We know modern families have complex schedules, and it’s no longer just a quick trip to grandma’s house down the street,” administration staff noted. “Adding a stop at the last minute is tough on the driver. If there’s ever an emergency, we need to know exactly who is on that bus. We never want to miss a student.”
Trustee Tammy Henkel pointed out the serious safety risks of losing track of a child because of a last-minute schedule change.

“It’s like a passenger list on an airplane,” said Henkel. “We need to know where all those kids are at every single moment. If a student is bouncing between different stops all week, tracking them becomes a heavy burden.”

If there’s a short-term emergency—like a parent falling ill—families can pay a “casual rider” fee of $40 per month. These new fees don’t apply to split-family households, as the division is legally required to provide transportation to two primary homes for free.
Trustee Steve Adams asked if charging these fees could put the division’s provincial transportation funding at risk, since that money is meant strictly for home-to-school travel. Administration confirmed the new fee model gives them the flexibility to help families without losing any provincial dollars.
For many trustees, the new policy is a welcome end to a chaotic system.

“Getting rid of the last-minute text messages to drivers and schools will really simplify things,” said Trustee Michael Strebchuk. “It makes it easier for our administration and transportation teams because we’re finally putting an end to the taxi service.”
To further protect students at drop-off points, the board unanimously approved spending $10,899 on two more extended stop arms for the buses. These 6.5-foot arms physically block the lane next to the bus, acting as a highly visible barrier against “flybys”—when drivers dangerously and illegally pass a bus with its red lights flashing.

The transportation department says the hardware is working incredibly well. During the meeting, administration pointed to one specific in-town route in Slave Lake that used to see about six flybys a month. After adding the extended stop arm to that bus, those illegal passes virtually disappeared.

The arms are built with a spring-fold hinge so they won’t severely damage the bus if they get hit. However, officials warned that any driver who tries to plow through the extended arm will definitely damage their own vehicle.

These two new stop arms are the seventh and eighth to be added to the division’s fleet. Because they are transferable, they can easily be moved to newer buses when older ones are retired.

Armaan Khanna
Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter