VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — Valdosta City Schools are back—and rolling into the new year with smoother routes and sharper focus.
- Families now register for transportation online, streamlining routes and improving communication.
- A new device policy keeps phones and smartwatches out of sight to prioritize focus and safety.
- Watch the video below to see how VCS started their new year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For the first time, Valdosta City Schools required families to register their students for bus transportation in advance—through a new online system that improves routing, streamlines communication, and helps track ridership.
More than 2,500 students registered, and the team behind the wheel says the new plan is already making a difference.
Travis Jones, Director of Transportation, helped lead the overhaul and says it took strategy, structure, and plenty of summer sweat.
"My summer has been very good, but it's been busy because we have implemented a new program here at Valdosta City Schools Transportation, where we've had parents to register their students to ride buses. That has worked out well. It took a lot of hard work, dedication, recruitment and it took teamwork and it took some rebranding, restructuring and believe me—it is just reviews."
Inside the schools, another big change is the new personal electronic device policy, which requires phones, earbuds, and smartwatches to remain off and out of sight throughout the school day.
Dr. Craig Lockhart, Superintendent of Valdosta City Schools, says the policy was developed with safety and student well-being top of mind.
"I believe that's one of the primary concerns that parents have with a cell phone restriction or an outright ban—is that their children cannot reach out to them in times of distress," said Dr. Lockhart. "We are very, very trained. They have very strong protocols for safety here, along with our partners in law enforcement."
With smarter systems and stronger support in place, Valdosta City Schools are proving that structure and safety set the stage for success.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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