Clover Park Schools Launches School, Bus Stop Locator

Finding the way to school has just gotten easier for families of students in the Clover Park School District.

The district recently rolled out its School and Bus Stop Locator, which, with the simple input of an address, brings up the school a student should attend – and the closest bus stop. It also features bus pick-up and drop-off times.

“We are really excited to offer this tool to families and for use among district staff,” said Delphie Nielsen, director of transportation, in a news release.

Kim Prentice, the district’s director of community relations, said that other school districts have a similar program, and that in CPSD’s case, they have the ability to allow families to find both their school and their bus stop.

“It’s a really great tool and I think it’s another effort on behalf of the school district to make information available to our families in an easy-to-use manner,” she said.

The idea for the locator was borne of conversations out in the community, Prentice said, adding that families on Joint Base Lewis-McChord were especially interested.

“Some of them come from across the world, and are used to having it in other districts,” she said.

 Nielsen said that the locator provides a great service to both new and longtime community members.

“Families with students moving from elementary to middle school or from middle school to high school will also find it beneficial,” she said.

 Development of the locator commenced at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year.

 “It was just something in conversations that we heard would be something that would enhance our website and allow families to not make a call, but be able to look (online),” Prentice said. “It’s a little more user-friendly for families.”

 The School and Bus Stop Locator is available 24 hours a day on the district’s website. It is featured under announcements, the general school-information tab on the far right side of the site, and on the transportation section of the site.

 “We hope people will automatically see it,” Prentice said.

The locator will also be publicized in the district’s back-to-school information.

 The School and Bus Stop Locator was created by Davis Demographics and is based on data from various public sources. The attendance zones and bus stops reflect current boundaries, but are subject to change, as per CPSD school board policy.