School Transportation Policies Discussed at BOE

At the September 2025 Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Stafford’s Superintendent of Schools Scott Sugarman began a discussion about a particular transportation practice. Historically, Stafford has allowed private school students, specifically those attending East Catholic High School (ECHS), to ride the bus with students attending Howell Cheney Technical High School and then walk over to ECHS. 

The schools are not required to provide this service to private school students, though they are allowed to by state statute. Sugarman raised concerns about the potential liability and fiscal responsibility of continuing this practice. After discussing whether students’ families could sign waivers releasing the town from potential liability (they cannot) and the possible types of policies the district could adopt, the board decided to move forward with developing a policy with the help of legal services. 

The matter came up again, briefly, at the Oct. 20, 2025, meeting. Chair of the Policy subcommittee, Aaron Hoffman, said that the decision whether or not to transport private school students should be on a case-by-case basis. For instance, if the number of students attending Cheney Tech or East Catholic were to grow enough that more than one bus would be required to transport students, the district would reconsider its decision. A more official draft of the policy should be up for consideration soon.

Connecting the Levinthal Run school complex to the Borough is possible, if not probable.

Hoffman also addressed a transportation matter that has recently caught the attention of some on social media, despite being on the books for at least 15 years, according to Hoffman: the district’s policy that does not allow students to walk to school. Hoffman said that the district's policy considers many things: sidewalks, lighting, the age of the students, and the distance students would have to walk. 

Using West Stafford School as an example, Hoffman said that given the students’ ages and the fact that the school is on a state highway, walking to school is simply unsafe “from a logical standpoint.” 

Up at the school complex on Levinthal Run, the situation is different. While there is now a sidewalk running from the high school up to the middle school, it does not extend beyond. In the past, it has been suggested to build a path through the woods to connect Levinthal Run with downtown Stafford and the Borough, which could make it easier for some to walk safely to school. It’s hard to imagine anyone letting their children – even their teenagers – walk up Orcuttvile Road on a cold, dark, winter morning. 

“Are we going to stop students from crossing a street and walking to school – we don’t have the manpower to do so,” said Hoffman. “The goal is to promote safety,” he added. 

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