and even if kids get rides, gas prices are so high now that parents might ask "is that club/sport even contributing anything to my child?" That's not much of an argument, but I know that my mother repeated that to me many times by the time I was a junior.

That is horrible!How far do you live from school?Couldn't you possibly walk or get an alternate ride!Get a friend to do it with you who is willing to give you a ride! :shock: :?: 8) :lol: :wink: :wink: :P

It's hard to find a friend to drive you, at least all the time & especially cos I live about 20 minutes from school. I dropped band in h.s. for this reason even though i used to play in middle school (when we had a bus). I think the school system should solve this problem for all kids, not just me. I am definitely not the only one who can't participate & it just doesn't seem fair to kids who live far away or whose parents work or who don't have cars or are too young to drive. Don't they want us to do extracurriculars? I KNOW they want us to get help from teachers after school so this situation makes no sense.

Maybe if it's too expensive to have the bus we should do these kind of things during the school day? I don't know. Any other solutions that would make things fair to all kids?

the only problem with this idea, though it would probably help to get many more sutdents involved in their high schools you always have to think about where the money is going to come from. if this money was given for activity buses for the high school would they run an hour after school for like an SGA meeting, or 3 hours after for say a sports practice? also, where would we take money away from to pay for this? just things to consider.

This year if i am not mistaken they have activity buses at Meade High. Why can't they have them at the resst of the High Schools.

Meade actually has two activity buses, one each for Wednesday and Thursday. We fought for those buses tooth and nail for four years because the majority of our students and many of their parents don't have cars and our community is far-flung (the school's on Ft. Meade, but we have neighborhoods as far as Laurel). It is very difficult to get students to participate in activities when they have little or no way to get home afterward. That's why we have the buses. If you want them, cry aloud and fight for them. That's the way you get things done.

I was going to say something along what Gerrard said, about Meade having busses....but he kinduv said everything that needed to be.

:idea:i support him in giving the idea of fighting for what you guys need. Go for it. (it wasn't easy, but if you keep it up you'll get it)

I think the every high school should fight for activity buses. It would really help those who can't get a ride but want/have to stay after school.

But the problem is that the county is having issues with buses, so you really have to have a coherent plan if you want to get them.

BUt it is still a good idea. Old mill has the largest student population son there should be some plan for transportation.

That's very true. I'd like to see where your efforts take you. Ask if you need any help, and I'll talk to my Admin. to see what we can do...

That would be greatly appreciated.

the only thing about Meade's activity buses is that there are so many restrictions, you have to stay after for a certain teacher, you have to have a pass, they only stay until 3 and they drop you off at an elementary school!!! I think that I we are going to push for activity buses, we need to all ban together to not just have them 2 days a week but 3 or 4 thats the only way things will work

Thats what we should do.

As I read through this forum, I realized one reason why activity buses may not be provided in high school -- extra-curriculars end at just about the same time as many middle and elementary schools let out.

So, the buses that could be in use for high school activities are probably tied up making their daily runs.

That is true because they let twilight school out at the same time so kids can ride those buses home. But thats only with a note and the middle school release times are staggered. My bus goes from the high school to an elem. school and sit for a while. While that may not be the cases for all buses and there may not be enough time for a route in between schools in sure there are plenty of buses with some down time.

EDIT: And the county uses more than one bus company.

Does anyone know how Meade got its busses? I find it difficult to believe that Meade petitioned the board and the board gave money for busses 2 times a week for only one high school. I must be missing something.

One alternative to activity buses might be a longer lunch period! See the article I just posted today in the media section about Arundel High School changing its lunch period to 50 minutes (from 25)--starting right now! I don't know how they managed to do this (how they got permission from the school system, not to mention how they found an extra 25 minutes in the school day). But they are hoping that students who can't stay after school for help or to participate in clubs can do so during these longer lunch periods.

Why can one high school do this so easily while others can't? And why does at least one of our high schools have activity buses while others don't? We need to start talking together more to expose these kind of inequities between schools--and to make sure that all students in the county have access to the same kind of opportunities no matter where they live, what school they attend, or whether or not they happen to have a car or a parent who has nothing else to do but drive them whenever they need a ride.