Families

Transportation Policy

There are many benefits and some challenges being a citywide school. We have over 1300 students, traveling across the city making some protocols more restrictive than a neighborhood school. We understand that many of our students are so busy that parent drop-off and pick-up results in as many as 200 vehicles through our loop daily, both in the morning and again in the afternoon.

With the school day underway, the office staff begins processing the transportation changes at 10:30 a.m. organizing 70-100 adjustments per day. We sincerely appreciate your work with us in every aspect of school, including this Transportation Policy.

• Written or online notes must be submitted by 10:30 a.m. on the day of the change only. Notes do not carry over to additional or future dates.
• Transportation changes and elementary students staying for afterschool activities will not be processed by phone, email, fax, or communication to teachers or staff.
• Each child has one routine way of how they get home. Any day your child deviates from the routine, a note is required. Weekly and/or monthly schedule changes or staying for clubs with the expectation that staff remember to remind the child(ren) are not feasible. If your child’s routine is to ride the bus but parent pick-up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a note is required each Tuesday and Thursday. If your child’s routine is to ride the bus and needs to be parent pickup but no note was submitted by 10:30 a.m., you may pick up your child in the lobby no later than 3:30 p.m. (On early dismissal days at 12:54 p.m., lobby pick-up is 12:30 p.m.)
• Early dismissal in the lobby ends at precisely 3:30 p.m. Exceptions to these deadlines will not be accommodated.
• There are no walk-ups for parent drop-off or pick-up. All students dropped off at school in any manner other than the school bus are to be brought through the car drop-off line.
• Doors open at 8:35 a.m. when staff is here to keep them safe. There is no drop-off prior to 8:35 a.m.
• Once you enter the front loop for morning drop-off, your child(ren) must be ready. Families who wait to finalize organization, finish breakfast, write notes, or have long good-byes delay the drop-off process.
• Spaces in the front loop are reserved for visits of 15 minutes or less. Cars may not line up for afternoon pick-up until 3:45.
• School dismisses at 3:54 p.m. Any parent picking up a child in the car pick-up line must be in the line by 3:54 p.m. Parents who arrive late for pick-up keep staff from afterschool commitments, including tutoring. The size of our staff is more limited than at a neighborhood school (e.g., fewer assistants, support staff members and teachers who are not directly supervising students throughout dismissal).
• Valid reasons for early pick-up do not include avoiding the parent pick-up line or getting to an after-school event (sports, clubs and activities). Each time a child is called out of a class for early release, it disrupts the learning environment. Keep in mind that instruction at ODS goes until the end of the day.

ODS Online Note

It is our honor and privilege to educate your child(ren) and in doing so, their safety is our utmost priority. The safety plan, including the Transportation Policy, puts the well-being of students, staff, and parents as the top priority.