Update: This story has been corrected to reflect Ryan Arellano's role as Transportation Coordinator.
Gonzales Independent School District Transportation Coordinator Ryan Arellano briefed the district's Board of Trustees on the COVID-19 preparations and precautions being taken to ensure the safety of students on district transportation.
“In Gonzales ISD we cover 536 square miles,” Arellano said. “We provide most transportation to more than 1,000 students each day on nearly 19 unique bus routes. We will continue to offer transportation for this year; however some capacity limitations may exist.”
At its regular meeting on Aug. 10, Arellano told the Board that students would sit two to a seat and be required to wear face coverings regardless of age.
Students will also have their temperatures checked before boarding the bus, Arellano said. Parents must wait until their child is confirmed to have a temperature below 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. If their temperature is above that, the student will not be permitted to board the bus or enter their school.
City stops reduced
County routes will remain unchanged, but city bus routes will decrease the number of stops made along each route from 12 to 18 down to five to eight.
Students will be dropped off according to the ascending hierarchy of schools: first the Primary schools, then Gonzales Elementary, followed by North Avenue Intermediate, the junior hHigh and the high school. The buses will be cleaned in between bus trips, as well as an additional two times a day.
Arellano said there will also be a smaller district-owned vehicle which the transportation department will use to pick up any sick students who are left at bus stops by parents. They will be taken to an isolation area on their campus while parents are contacted.
“Now if the student has a high temperature of 100.4 and there's no parents in sight, we will do our best to isolate the student,” Arellano said. “So the driver will contact the transportation office. We will do our best to make an attempt to take an activity bus to meet the person and pick up the students if possible.”
“Our goal as a transportation department is to take kids to school and from school safely. We take pride in our job and look forward to a successful school year.”
Breakout for jump
Gonzales ISD bus
stops within city
The Gonzales ISD has reduced the number of stops on its city bus routes from 12 to 18 stops, to between five and eight per route. Here is the new lists of stops:
Bus 11
Zint Street
Waco/Mesquite Street
Burchard Street/Kleine Street
Robertson Street/Sycamore Street
St. Vincent/Patrick Street
St. Vincent/ College Street
Bus 24
St. Lawrence/Hopkins Street
Church Street/ Cuero Street
E.Wallace/ Church Street
Cavett/ Wells Street (Indian Ridge)
College Street/Cone St.
Dunning Street/St.Peter
College Street/St. Francis
Bus 6
St. George/ St. John
SouthSt./ Hwy 183 (Casa Rios)
Ainsworth St./ Morey St.
Cone Street/Highway 183
Wallace/St.John
E.Cone Street/Conway Street
Middle Buster Road
Bus 23
Ridgemont Lane
Oakland Avenue/ Harwood Road
Guerra Lane
2405 Church St.
Larry Drive