North Hills School District: New Bus & Bell Schedule Passes First Test

The biggest change to the school year in the North Hills School District is the new arrival and dismissal times, brought on by Superintendent Patrick Mannarino's desire to reduce transportation costs, and improve safety by reducing traffic congestion outside the middle and high schools on the hilltop campus.

And judging from the traffic volume Tuesday morning, the new plan passed its first test.

"So far so good," said Mannarino, minutes after more than 700 middle school students entered the building. "I thought it went very smoothly, and there were no traffic backups on Rochester Road."

For the first time, Middle School students are arriving and departing 30 minutes after Senior High students, essentially cutting the traffic jam on the hilltop campus in half.

The changes also mean Highcliff and West View Elementary students now arrive and depart 30 minutes later than last year while Ross and McIntyre Elementary students arrive and depart 15 minutes later.

"Arrival also went smoothly at most elementary schools," said North Hills Communications Coordinator Amanda Hartle. "The only issue this morning was was due to an incident involving a truck that was too large for the area resulting in a minor delay for buses transporting Highcliff students."

The afternoon did not go as smoothly, and the district made several adjustments which were implemented Wednesday afternoon. 

How did the first day go for you and your children? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

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