Round Rock parents say they were blindsided when early-morning emails and texts announced that many children will lose school bus service next year. Families at Laurel Mountain Elementary and several other campuses are suddenly being told their kids are expected to walk, in some cases close to two miles, along routes parents describe as dark, hilly and missing basic sidewalks. Caregivers say they had almost no chance to weigh in and want clear timelines and visible safety fixes in place before any buses are pulled.
Charissa Shuttleworth, a Laurel Mountain parent, told FOX 7 Austin she received an email on Feb. 27 explaining that her campus would lose bus service for the 2026-27 school year and that “they just said this is how it is, and there was no room even for feedback.” In the same report, parent-shot video shows how dark one suggested morning walking route is around 7 a.m., while other families flagged blind turns and stretches with no sidewalks at all. Parents say the abrupt shift feels especially jarring in the wake of the district’s recent bond campaign.
How the district scores walking routes
RRISD’s Hazardous Route Areas Review details a numeric scoring system that weighs factors such as how far students must cross, vehicle speeds, steep grades and whether crosswalks, sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure exist. Based on those scores, areas are labeled “safe,” “low hazard,” “mid level hazard” or “hazardous.” The board document lists recommendations for individual school zones and shows several older hazardous designations that are recommended for removal after local improvements. According to RRISD's Hazardous Route Areas Review, this scoring process is part of the formal system the district uses to decide where bus service is required.
Bond money and parental frustration
Parents are also pointing to the nearly $1 billion bond voters approved in November 2024, which the district says will fund campus repairs, technology upgrades and equipment, including vehicles, and say that makes the bus cuts feel contradictory. Local coverage and district materials show the package passed as multiple propositions totaling roughly $933 million, and transportation projects appear in the bond project lists. For caregivers already juggling work, morning traffic and after-school schedules, the looming loss of neighborhood bus stops has sparked demands for short-term safety solutions while longer-term construction work is planned.
In a statement to FOX 7 Austin, RRISD said the “decision to end bus service to any route is made after a thorough process that ensures safe walking routes” and emphasized that route scores reflect multiple safety factors. The district added that “all families whose students will no longer receive bus service beginning this fall were also provided with one to three walking paths” and noted that service needs could change once sidewalks or other safety improvements are completed. Even so, some parents point to ballot materials highlighting funds for new buses and say they would have thought differently about their vote if they had known routes could be reduced.
What parents can do next
District officials say routes will be reviewed again as safety projects wrap up, but many families want a firmer timeline and more direct communication before changes kick in this fall. RRISD posts board agendas, reports and supporting documents on its BoardDocs site, which lets community members review the hazardous-area work and prepare questions for trustees. Parents who want immediate safety measures are being urged to contact campus administrators or the transportation department and to consider attending the next Board of Trustees meeting to ask for delays, supervised walking programs or temporary crossings while permanent fixes move through the bond-funded pipeline.
