Students will have to pay to ride school buses in the coming school year, Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds said Wednesday.
"Because of the government's dire financial situation, it has become necessary that students riding the school buses be charged a nominal fee," Simmonds said in a release from her office.
She said the charge will be $5 a week for elementary students and $10 per week for secondary school students. However, Simmonds said no household would be charged more than $30 per week. Special education students and students residing on St. John will not be charged, according to the release.
There was no mention of how the fees would be collected.
The release, which was titled, "Education surveys student bus ridership," had a form with it that parents are asked to complete. It requested the name, address, school attended and whether the student will be riding the bus in the 2000-2001 school year.
The release said the forms would be sent home with students on the last day of school. It did not indicate the procedure for returning the forms.
