Fee-Based Busing Set for Oxford Prep School

Easing concerns of parents, Anaheim Union High School District trustees recently agreed to provide fee-based busing for students attending Oxford Academy, the district’s first college-preparatory campus.

Parents raised concerns about transportation difficulties to and from the Cypress campus. Seventh- and eighth-grade students from throughout the district attend the academy.

“I found it to be stressful,” said Claudette Merlin, a working parent who experienced problems picking up her 13-year-old son, Makandal, from school.

Merlin told the board that campus needs bus service because of parents’ work schedules. She also said parents were willing to pay for busing.

The board, meeting last week, approved using district-owned school buses, at a cost of $389 a year per student, which parents will pay. A private bus transportation company would have charged about $938 a year per student.

Trustees agreed that busing was necessary: “I would hate for us to lose students because of this,” board President Harald G. Martin said.

Busing is expected to start by Oct. 1, with pickups at South, Sycamore, Ball and Brookhurst junior high schools, officials said.