In order to minimize the impact of increased traffic on schools and students, APS is requesting that all bus riders from Morningside Elementary School and from the North Atlanta cluster (including Bolton Academy, Brandon ES, Garden Hills ES, Jackson ES, Rivers ES, Smith ES, Sutton MS, & North Atlanta HS) report to their bus stops 15 minutes early beginning Monday so that buses have additional time to ensure an on-time drop-off.
For parents who drop off their children in the mornings within the North Atlanta cluster and at Morningside Elementary School, APS will be opening the school doors 15 minutes earlier than normal in hopes of reducing congestion around schools. For the remainder of the 2016- 2017 school year:
- Elementary school doors will open at 7:15 a.m. with a start time of 8 a.m.
- North Atlanta High School doors will open at 8 a.m. with a start time of 8:45 a.m.
- Sutton Middle School doors will open at 8:30 a.m. with a start time of 9:15 a.m.
APS is also creating a temporary bus compound at North Atlanta High School in order to park buses serving neighborhoods on the north side of the city. The system’s police department is working in partnership with the Atlanta Police Department to provide increased traffic support around schools and neighborhoods with anticipated traffic concerns.
In an abundance of caution, the district is stocking all of the impacted buses with bottled water in the event that students are stuck in traffic for extended periods of time.The district will be closely monitoring the situation next week and will make adjustments to the plan as required.