Mars Area School District understands that many parents/guardians are concerned with the recent delays in returning students to their bus stops at the end of the school day; therefore, we would like to familiarize you with our District’s afternoon dismissal procedures. 

At the end of each school day, our school buses first pick up Mars Area Middle School and Mars Area High School students. During the first few days of school, as these students are familiarizing themselves with dismissal procedures, the buses often experience minor delays in loading and exiting the secondary school campuses.

After transporting secondary students home, the school buses return for the dismissal of the District’s elementary (K-6) students. As the buses used to transport secondary students are the same as those used for the elementary bus routes, any delays that affect secondary buses have the potential to affect the time that elementary students are picked up at their individual school and, in turn, when they arrive at their afternoon bus stop.

In addition, as our younger students are getting accustomed to dismissal procedures at the individual buildings, it may take additional time for students load the buses at the end of the school day. At Mars Area Primary Center, busses are being loaded one at a time to ensure that all students are on the correct buses. On a typical day, all buses are loaded by 3:45 p.m., but during the first week of school, all buses my not leave the schools until 4 p.m. As we establish a dismissal routine and adjust bus patterns, the times will improve gradually and the buses will be loaded much more quickly.

Unfortunately, regardless of when our buses leave the schools, ongoing construction on Three Degree Road, Route 228 and numerous other local roadways that are traversed by our school buses both to and from school every day, are resulting in additional delays. The District has been working closely with municipal and state transportation officials to address specific traffic issues in an attempt to minimize delays, wherever possible. However, in some cases, these delays cannot be avoided.

If, for any reason, your child’s school bus will be delayed for an extended period of time, the District will notify you as soon as possible. If a school bus is running more than 15-20 minutes late, please contact A.J Myers & Sons bus garage at (724) 625-2032, so that they may contact the bus driver directly. Any additional questions or concerns may be directed to the District’s Transportation Office at [email protected].

The District appreciates everyone's patience and cooperation as we strive to safely transport our students to and from school.