Student Transportation

Bus routes are built around students who have completed registration prior to the start of the school year.

Timely registration is necessary in order to:

• Secure a seat on the bus for students who need to ride the bus.
• Ensure a sufficient number of routes and bus stop locations.
• Improve route efficiency.
• Generate a bus badge that must be presented to the driver in order to get on a bus.

2025-2026 Student Transportation Change or Update Form

• Use the form above if you are registering a child for school or if you have a transportation change request after July 1, 2025
• In order for your child to receive transportation, you need to complete your child’s Annual Registration in Skyward Family Access.
• If your child needs an alternative drop-off or pick-up address, or attends a private school, a request form must be completed.
• Students who register after the start of the school year, can expect to start riding the bus 3-5 days after registration has been completed.
• Click here to determine your child’s elementary attendance areas.
• Special education transportation needs are determined by Student Services by calling 715.377.3703.

Families can view bus route details in Skyward Family Access or the My Ride K-12 app the first week in August. During the summer, routes change constantly as requests are made.

• Bus scan cards will be handed out either at school open houses/meet the teacher nights, or the first week of school. Communication will be sent to families when the bus scan cards arrive and are ready for distribution. Students must have and scan their bus card in order to ride the bus.
• If your child loses or damages their bus scan card, contact Safeway Bus Company. The School District will provide the first bus scan card and one replacement card each year. A $5 fee will be charged to students for additional replacement cards.

Throughout the year, you may need to change the transportation information that has been shared with Hudson School District. Families are asked to communicate changes in a timely manner to help Hudson School District ensure efficient routing and transportation of students.

Transportation changes are likely to include the following scenarios:

• You indicated the need for bus transportation for your child during online registration, and your child is eligible, but your child will no longer ride the bus to school.
• You DID NOT indicate the need for bus transportation during online registration, but now your child needs to ride the bus to school.
• The location where your child is to be picked up or dropped off is changing.
• Your child stopped riding the bus earlier this year, but now needs to start riding the bus again.
• You have an address change.

Any changes submitted after August 15th may not be honored during the first two weeks of the school year. This allows the Hudson School District Transportation Department to finalize bus routes and provide all families with accurate pick-up and drop-off times for the first two weeks of school.

Address Changes

If families need to request a transportation change due to a new address, they must first reach out to their child’s school to update the change in Skyward Family Access prior to completing the transportation change request form.

The following will explain the eligibility policy, walk to school zones, and 4K transportation.

The following will explain the eligibility policy and walk to school zones.

Hudson School District eligibility policy:

• Transportation will be provided for students in grades K-8 living one mile or more from the school they attend. Distance from the school is determined along the shortest route on a public roadway.
• Transportation will be provided for students in grades 9-12 living two miles or more from the school they attend. Distance from the school is determined along the shortest route on a public roadway.
• Only one pick up and one delivery location within your child’s school attendance area is permitted unless the child legally resides at two parental households within the school district’s boundaries.
• Childcare must reside within your child’s school attendance area. To identify your child’s elementary attendance area, click here and enter your child’s grade and home address.
• Children with boundary exceptions are not eligible for transportation.
• All special needs transportation will be arranged with the child’s teacher through the IEP process.

In an effort to reduce bus ridership, to reduce transportation costs and to respond to the challenges of hiring bus drivers, the School District has implemented the walk zones linked below. Students who live in identified walk zones are ineligible for bus transportation to and from school. The walk zones are well within the legal requirements, with the School District continuing to provide transportation to significantly more students than legally required. Additionally, the walk-zones listed below do not apply to students who require transportation due to an Individualized Education Plan or other special circumstances required by law.

Click on the school below to view the walk zone. The walk zones do not apply to students who require transportation due to an IEP or other special circumstance required by law.

• EP Rock Elementary Walk Zone (Grades K-5)
• Houlton Elementary Walk Zone (Grades K-5)
• Hudson Prairie Elementary Walk Zone (Grades K-5)
• North Hudson Walk Zone (Grades K-5)
• River Crest Elementary has no walking zone
• Willow River Elementary, St. Pat’s, Trinity Academy Elementary Walk Zone (Grades K-5)
• Hudson Middle School Walk Zone (Grades 6-8)
• Hudson High School Walk Zone (Grades 9-12)

The Transportation Department will start contacting families who are eligible for transportation as soon as their site placement is confirmed beginning mid-May through mid-July. After that, families will need to contact the Transportation Department directly or complete a Hudson School District Transportation Request Form to sign up for transportation. Route assignments with pick-up and drop-off information will be released to families in early August.

• Transportation will be provided only to the Hudson School District school sites (Hudson Prairie, River Crest & Willow River) based on your child’s elementary school attendance boundaries. Community 4K partner sites will NOT be receiving transportation in 2025-2026.
  • Click here to determine your attendance area.
• Transportation is provided for 4K students with driveway pick-up and drop-off. 4K students are exempt from walking boundaries.
• 4K students will ride an elementary bus when possible and will sit in the front seats. The 4K program also uses mini-buses and vans, especially for the mid-day transports.
• A parent/guardian must be present for 4K students to be dropped off at the end of the day, otherwise the student will be brought back to their 4K site for parent/guardian pick-up. Upon parent request, older siblings may be present for this responsibility at the School District’s discretion.
• If you are enrolling in wrap care, it is important to note that you could receive transportation either to or from your assigned 4K class, but not to or from wrap care. Exceptions include:
  • 4K students at a School District site that live in the school boundary are eligible for transportation before/after wrap care.

Transportation information for St. Patrick’s and Trinity Academy for the 2025-2026 School Year:

• 4K St. Patrick’s & Trinity students will be allowed to ride with a registered K-8 sibling rider.
  • The will not be guaranteed curb-to-curb stops but can be granted the closest stop location with their K-8 sibling.
  • There is no mid-day transportation available to/from St. Patrick’s or Trinity for 4K riders.
  • 4K riders can only ride AM/PM if the sibling is registered. For example, if the sibling is AM only, the 4K student cannot ride in the PM. If the sibling withdraws, the 4K student will also need to withdraw from transportation.
• 4K St. Patrick’s and Trinity Academy students without a sibling rider are not eligible for transportation.

• District Determined: The School District determines the address of all bus stops for AM pick-up and PM drop-off.
• Neighborhood or Residence Bus Stops: Students will only be picked up and dropped off at their assigned neighborhood bus stop. Riders are required to use the assigned neighborhood or residence bus stop. Riders may not board or exit a bus at a school building other than the one the rider attends.
• No School Bus Transfers: School buildings will not be used as bus stops except Hudson Middle School for High School Transfer Riders in the afternoon. All other riders will be required to get on and off the bus at their District assigned neighborhood or residence bus stop.
  • Example (Applies to ALL School Buildings except for High School students transferring at the Middle School): A parent who has a Middle School child and a transportation eligible child who attends EP Rock will not be allowed to drop off their Middle School child at EP Rock. The Middle School child must board the bus at their identified neighborhood bus stop.

Bus stop placements are determined by the Transportation Department, and are based on School District Policy #751.1

• Buses shall not travel private or non-public roads. Buses shall travel dead end state, county, or town highways or roads only if an adequate turn around area, approved by the School District and transportation contractor, is provided.
• Buses shall not be routed in areas considered unsafe for bus travel.
• Group pick-up points will be utilized where appropriate. The bus will not pick-up at individual homes in populated areas unless deemed necessary by an IEP Team for students with disabilities, for those living in a hazardous area or otherwise required by policy or rule.
• Generally, elementary and middle school students may be required to walk up to 0.5 mile and high school students up to 0.75 mile to a bus pick-up location.
• Generally, students shall not be assigned to pick-up points which would require walking on county highways, state roads or heavily traveled roads.
• Buses will typically not travel into cul de sacs that are less than .5 mile to center, unless the School District is required to do so for a specific student.

Additionally:

• Current riders may or may not be assigned to the same stop used in previous years. Routes change every year.
• Riders will be assigned to a bus stop determined by one address for AM and one address for PM.
• Riders are required to use the assigned neighborhood or residence bus stop. Riders may not board or exit a bus at a school building other than the one the rider attends.
• Routes are finalized in mid-August.
• The School District does not guarantee seating space on school buses for students if they do not or will not regularly ride the bus for extended periods during the school year.

The Hudson School District has developed an emergency route plan for inclement weather. The purpose of this plan is to provide safe transportation on days when it is not possible to drive buses on specific roads. In unsafe conditions, such as drifted or icy roads, soft surface gravel roads, unplowed roads, etc. this plan will be implemented. The plan outlined below is subject to change as determined by the Transportation Department.

• The decision to use alternate bus pick-up or drop-off locations is usually made by 5:30 AM for morning routes or by 12:00 PM for afternoon routes.
• Families may assume when the alternate bus pick-up plan is used in the morning, it will likely be used in the afternoon. However, if afternoon route locations are changed back to their normal drop-off location, the School District will notify families no later than 12:00 PM.

• POLICY #443.2 – Student Conduct on School Buses
• POLICY #751 – Student Transportation Services
• Rule #751.1 – Bus Routing and Scheduling Procedures
• Rule #751.12 – Student Pick-Up and Discharge at Points Other than Their Home