08-05-2025
Parents persuade Rutherford school board to rescind rule to stop busing for some students
Rutherford County school officials pleased parents May 7 by rescinding a recent decision to stop busing students living close to school campuses.
The unanimous Board of Education followed the recommendation of Schools Director Jimmy Sullivan to rescind the previous April 24 decision in a 4-3 vote to review and study the issue.
The majority board previously aimed to save $3 million by establishing Parent Responsibility Zones (PRZ) for parent-transportation by the August start of the next school year for able-bodied students and family members living within a mile radius of schools for grades K-5 and 1.5 miles for grades 6-12.
Prior to rescinding, the board heard Lascassas Elementary School mother Elizabeth Adkins and three other parents speak in opposition to the PRZ policy during the public comment part of the meeting.
"In our county, many students who live within the PRZ would be forced to walk along roads with 55 to 65 mph speed limits (on) roads with no sidewalks, no crosswalks," Adkins said.
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Adkins mentioned the traffic concerns of many drivers ignoring the speed limits near her child's school on state Route 96 (Lascassas Pike) northeast of Murfreesboro.
"My daughter is 5-years-old," Adkins said in a tearful tone. "She weighs 35 pounds. That's who this policy is asking to walk to school along three dangerous roads."
Adkins also told the school officials that many families do not have the option to drive their children to nearby schools because the parents are "working jobs that don't allow them to come and go freely."
"Expecting every family to manage this without transportation support is unrealistic and unfair," Adkins told the school officials.
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School father Mike Felts told the board that Parent Responsibility Zones disproportionately affect low-income families.
"Many parents work multiple jobs, lack reliable transportation or simply can't afford to take time off during school hours," Felts said.
"Expecting them to meet additional requirements within a defined geographic area unfairly punishes those already stretched thin."
Felts urged the school officials not to punish families for circumstances they can't control.
"Instead, let's invest in solutions, like flexible school bus routes, expanded before- and after-care, and better communication between schools and families," Felts said.
"That's how we create a district that truly works for all children."
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Lascassas Elementary Parent Teacher Organization President Ashley Hale also urged the board to reconsider the PRZ policy to keep children from walking to school on high-traffic roads with high speed limits.
"We also cannot ignore the threat of child predators," said Hale, a mother of two students at Lascassas Elementary.
"For some of our youngest students, children as young as 5, it would be asked of some of them to be alone, vulnerable and unprotected. These are not hypothetical risks. This is not the world our parents grew up in. These are known dangers. And they are preventable."
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La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole, who's also a school father, also spoke in opposition to the PRZ policy that he said "blindsided" families with an unplanned decision. He urged the school officials to complete a comprehensive study before implementing any possible revised PRC policy.
Cole also said the PRZ previously approved would have impacted 80% of the 7,000 homes in the still-growing Lake Forest Estates development in La Vergne.
"Keeping our students safe should be the priority − not just looking to cut costs," Cole said.
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The board previously voted 4-3 April 24 for the PRZ policy with tan Vaught, Katie Darby, Butch Vaughn and chairwoman Claire Maxwell in the majority.
Board members Tammy Sharp, vice chairwoman Frances Rosales and Caleb Tidwell opposed.
The six present board members May 7 rescinded the previous decision. Vaught was absent.
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@ To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Parents persuade Rutherford board to rescind PRZ rule to stop busing
