Region 16 to try additional late bus again

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PROSPECT — Region 16 will offer another late bus at Long River Middle School on a trial basis to gauge whether there is enough usage to warrant making it a permanent option.

The school, which serves students in grades sixth through eight from Beacon Falls and Prospect, currently offers a late bus only on Thursday afternoons for students who stay after school for extracurricular activities and extra help. A second late bus will be available on Tuesdays starting Sept. 13 and run through October.

The Region 16 Board of Education wants to see how many students will use the late bus on Tuesday before determining whether to keep it available. The late bus on Thursdays will remain. It costs $68 a day to run the late bus, officials said.

The board did a similar trial on Tuesdays this May at Long River following a request from a resident for an additional late bus. The late bus on Tuesdays was minimally used in May, Superintendent of Schools Michael Yamin said.

The school board recently decided to give it another try. Board members felt that the trial run in May may not have been a great indicator of use because it was so late in the school year.

Yamin said if at least 10 students regularly use the bus on Tuesdays he would recommend keeping it.