The new school start time plan will be implemented for general bussing, which makes up the majority of all student transportation. However, we know that improvements must be made to our specialized transportation service, including buses that serve students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or who are in prekindergarten, along with buses that serve Cedar Lane School and Homewood Center.
UPDATE: Sept. 17, 2023
Students/families may find their bus pickup/drop-off times via the following:
The entire school schedule, including arrival and dismissal times, will change by the same amount as the school's start time adjustment. For instance, if the start time is 10 minutes earlier, dismissal will also be 10 minutes earlier. The total time spent in school remains the same.
Half-day program schedules will shift by the same interval as the start time change. For example, if the school start time shifts 10 minutes later, half-day program start times will also shift 10 minutes later.
Just as HCPSS included all schools in three similar tiers to start this school year, schools must remain on similar schedules to support the on-time arrival of school buses. This helps staff who serve multiple schools fulfill their duties and ensures coverage. It also allows for flexibility across the system in case of unforeseen delays like driver shortages and weather disruptions.
The Howard County Board of Education adjusted the HCPSS school start times for the 2023-2024 year in February 2023. The plan adopted by the Board results in start times occurring in three tiers.
The school start times will be Tier 1 7:50 a.m., Tier 2 middle schools 8:30 a.m., Tier 2 elementary schools 8:45 a.m., Tier 3 9:25 a.m. A complete list of current and new times can be found online.
Location permissions are not required for app usage. It will affect how the map on the home screen displays but will not impact parent/guardian ability to track the bus on the Rides screen.
HCPSS parents/guardians will be able to view the driver profile on the Zum App in advance of scheduled rides. They can also turn on push notifications within the app to be notified if the assigned driver becomes unavailable on the day and a new driver is assigned.
Call 1-855-743-3986; email support@ridezum.com; or use the chat feature in the Zum App. NOTE: Only persons associated with your student’s account will be given access to their information, so please be prepared to confirm your account email or phone number.
HCPSS is not currently using this Zum app feature. Parent/guardians can safely disable that notification type.
