Following a lengthy discussion during its monthly meeting April 19, the Wright City R-II School Board decided not to amend its transportation policy to allow students to have more than one bus stop.This move came as a result of public feedback during the March meeting, at which patrons expressed the need for allowing divorced parents with joint custody to both be included as bus stop options for their children.Ultimately, a motion to allow parents with joint custody to have two separate routes beginning in the 2016-17 school year failed 3-2, resulting in no change to the current policy.“When I consider this issue, I think — it’s not the school district’s responsibility,” said Board President Austin Jones. “Second, is it a convenience versus a hardship? To me, this is an operational issue. It’s not the board of education’s responsibility to operate the district day to day. Our responsibility is to set policy and provide direction.”The board had decided to table the issue until April after agreeing it needed more information about the current policy, possible options and liabilities.Superintendent David Buck reported that three area districts had offered feedback on their policies, with Montgomery County, Warrenton and Winfield all currently allowing more than one stop. He also shared that representatives from the Missouri School Board Association clarified that allowing only parents with only joint physical custody to have more than one stop would not be considered discriminatory.“I understand the concerns of those parents, and I do think it’s a valid issue,” said Board Member Corri Ruge. “In the case where they have joint physical custody, I think that’s practical. However, I do think that we could expect a schedule that wouldn’t be changed throughout the year.”The options initially presented were to allow all families more than one stop, allow only families with joint physical custody, defer the decision to the superintendent or to leave the policy as is reads.“I think if you allow for one you would have to allow for all, which could create a problem,” said Jones. “There’s no cost to us until we have enough parents wanting to have a second bus that we have to create another route. So, then do you tell (the next) parent that this bus is full, and we’re not going to create a new route?”Administrators cited that the biggest issues with having multiple routes for one child exist at the two elementary schools in the district.“I’m concerned about the younger children getting on the wrong bus,” said Board Member Alice Jensen.The handbook for Wright City West Elementary currently states the following concerning student transportation. “Each student will have only one pick­-up location and one drop­-off location. Students will not be permitted to change buses or bus stops during the school year unless this is a permanent change. If an emergency occurs, and a student needs to go to a different location, the only option will be for students to be picked­ up at school.”One of the major concerns surrounding the possibility of allowing multiple bus routes for students is the disruption it could cause in both the office and classroom setting as messages are relayed to all parties involved in helping getting a child home safely.East Elementary has attempted to curtail the confusion by defining its policy in the handbook as stating, “changes to students’ dismissal routines are discouraged. We understand that emergencies come up and you may need to pick your student up from school instead of riding the bus home. Therefore, you will need to contact the office prior to 2 p.m. to change your student to a pick up. Students are not permitted to get off at a different bus stop or to ride a different bus.”Bus Stop