Committee approves bill clarifying bus eligibility for sixth graders in middle schools

The Senate Education Committee unanimously recommended House Bill 161, a measure that changes the definition of eligibility for school bus transportation so that sixth graders who attend a middle school will be eligible under the middle-school distance rules.

Sponsor Senator (presenter) Karen Kwan described the measure as a limited, technical fix that corrects an oversight in current code for districts such as Granite School District, where sixth-grade students attend middle schools. “What this bill does is add in sixth graders who are in middle school, that they will be allowed to get onto the bus as long as they are eligible,” Kwan said.

A brief public comment from Davis School District principal Ben Horsley supported the bill, saying it would aid district operations. Committee members asked no substantive questions, and the bill was moved forward without debate. The committee recorded a unanimous favorable recommendation to the full Senate.