Cougar Courier
November
Partnership with ECCO
Beginning Monday, November 30, 2026, East Lynne 40 School District will officially transition to a transportation partnership with ECCO Transportation. This decision was made after careful consideration of how we can continue providing safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation for our students and families. By partnering with ECCO, we will have access to additional resources, personnel, and operational support while maintaining our commitment to the students and families we serve.
What Will Change?
Beginning November 30, ECCO Transportation will assume responsibility for the day-to-day management of our transportation operations. This includes:
Bus Maintenance: ECCO will oversee vehicle maintenance, inspections, and repairs to ensure our buses are safe and operating properly.
Substitute Drivers: ECCO will coordinate substitute drivers when regular drivers are unavailable, helping us provide more consistent transportation services.
Route Management: ECCO will oversee bus routes, scheduling, and any necessary adjustments to improve efficiency and reliability.
Operational Support: Our district will benefit from ECCO's transportation expertise, resources, and additional support when unexpected challenges arise.
Athletic Transportation: We will continue to provide our athletic shuttle Tuesday through Friday for students participating in Harrisonville athletics. However, on Mondays, students participating in Harrisonville athletics will need to meet the bus at East Lynne 40 School. Home pickup will not be available on Mondays. Families will be responsible for arranging transportation to the school to meet the bus.
Marsha will continue to drive with East Lynne district. Our driver for bus 81 will be provided by ECCO.
What Will NOT Change?
While the management of transportation operations is changing, our priorities are not.
Our commitment to student safety remains our highest priority.
Our dedication to dependable transportation and clear communication with families will continue.
East Lynne 40 will remain actively involved in transportation decisions and addressing the needs of our students.
Families will continue to have a direct connection to our school when questions or concerns arise.
Most importantly, our expectation that every student is treated with care, kindness, and respect will not change.
Why Are We Making This Change?
As a small school district, we continually look for ways to strengthen our operations and ensure that the services we provide are sustainable for years to come. Transportation is an essential part of the school day, and we recognize how much our families depend on it. This partnership allows us to build a stronger support system for our transportation program without losing the personal connection that makes East Lynne 40 special.
We understand that changes like this can bring questions, and we are committed to keeping families informed throughout the transition. We will communicate any changes that directly impact your child's transportation.
Our goal remains simple: Every student deserves a safe, reliable ride to school and home each day. If you have any questions regarding this change please reach out to Mrs. Vaughn, sonja.vaughn@elynne.k12.mo.us.
Thank you for your continued trust and support as we take this next step in strengthening our district's transportation services.
Fall Athletes
For the past eight years, East Lynne 40 has partnered with the Harrisonville School District to provide our middle school students with opportunities to participate in athletics. Over the years, participation has continued to grow, and we now have students involved in nearly every sport offered!
As the fall sports season comes to a close, we want to recognize our students who represented East Lynne 40. This season, we had two students participating in cheer, two in football, two in cross-country, and five in volleyball.
We appreciate our continued partnership with Harrisonville and the opportunities it provides our students to compete, develop their skills, build friendships, and be part of a team. For a small district like ours, having access to these opportunities makes a difference, and we are glad to see more students taking advantage of them each year.
Congratulations to all our fall athletes on a great season!
Isabella Pickering - Cheer
Emma Reaves - Cheer
Eva Dillon - Cross Country
Fineas Thurman - Cross Country
Caroline Doughty - Volleyball
McKenna Faulkenberry - Volleyball
Henley Schrock - Volleyball
Sophia Schroeder - Volleyball
McKinley Young - Volleyball
Cameron Bryant- Football
DeAndre Clark - Football
8th grade football
7th grade cross country
7th grade volleyball
8th grade volleyball
Mango
Mango visited each of our classrooms this past month. We love having her here and think she is a great addition to our learning community! She has done really well adjusting to all of us and to our daily routines. It has been fun watching our students get to know her and seeing the smiles she brings wherever she goes. We look forward to finding even more ways for Mango to support our students and be part of their learning experiences!
