Berea City School District

June 6, 2025

Dear BCSD Families,

We want to inform you of updated start and end times for the 2025–2026 school year. These changes are part of our ongoing effort to improve transportation efficiency, reduce idle time between routes, and lower overall operational costs.

Start and End School Times for 2025-2026:

• Berea-Midpark High School:
  7:20 AM – 2:20 PM (no change)
  
  

• Berea-Midpark Middle School:
  8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (ends 5 minutes earlier)
  
  

• Big Creek Elementary School:
  8:40 AM – 3:30 PM (starts 20 minutes earlier, ends 15 minutes earlier)
  
  

• Brook Park Elementary School:
  8:50 AM – 3:40 PM (starts 10 minutes earlier, ends 5 minutes earlier)
  
  

• Grindstone Elementary School:
  9:00 AM – 3:50 PM (ends 5 minutes later)
  
  

Preschool Times:

• AM Session: 8:45 AM – 11:45 AM (starts 15 minutes later, ends 15 minutes later)
  

• PM Session: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM (no change)

While the start and end times vary slightly across Big Creek, Brook Park, and Grindstone, all three elementary schools will have the same length of school day and equal instructional time. The staggered start times are intentional and allow us to maximize the number of students who can ride each bus, shorten ride times, and reduce overlap between school arrivals and dismissals.

We recognize that changes to school times can impact family routines, and we appreciate your flexibility as we work to streamline our transportation operations. These updates will allow us to continue providing safe, timely, and cost-effective transportation for our students.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your school office or the Transportation Department.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Tracy L. Wheeler

Superintendent

All students attending Polaris must request transportation using this form. Students will be assigned to a bus route and notified via email prior to the start of the school year.

Transportation will be provided on a space-available basis, with priority given to the youngest students who live the farthest from their school.

• Students approved for space-available transportation may be bumped at any time by an eligible rider.

• The district must first determine accurate ridership for all eligible students before considering space-available requests. This process is typically completed by October.

• Space-available service may begin after October 15.

• Students must walk to an existing bus stop located within ½ mile of their residence for elementary and middle school, and within 1 mile for high school.

• The same bus stop must be used for both morning and afternoon routes.

• Existing bus routes will not be modified to accommodate space-available riders.

• Students will only be assigned to existing stops if space is available.

• Parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation on days when special accommodations are needed.

If your child requires transportation to or from a childcare provider, a completed form must be submitted by August 8, 2025, at 12:00 PM to ensure bus placement before the school year begins.

• Forms received after the deadline will result in placement on a bus route after September 1 due to the high volume of requests.

• Childcare providers for elementary students must be located within the city of the student’s school residence.
  
  

Note: Only newly enrolled students will be placed on a bus route if their form is submitted after the August 8 deadline.

If you are requesting shared parenting transportation, please email the Transportation Supervisor at dking@bereaschools.org. Your request will be reviewed, and you will be contacted with updated route information.

Due to limited space, siblings of special education students will no longer be transported on special education routes. Starting with the 2025–2026 school year, siblings will be assigned to regular education bus routes.