An increase in students using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft during school hours has the Naperville District 203 School Board considering a possible ban or authorization requirement because of potential district liability issues.
The topic of creating a policy governing if or when rideshare usage should be allowed was broached at this week’s board meeting and will be discussed again June 1.
Allison Boutet, D203 assistant superintendent of administrative services for junior high schools, told the board that junior high school students using private rideshares during school hours occurs about once or twice a month, but the number has been going up.
High school students also are accessing the service, but it’s more difficult to monitor because the schools have an open campus, Boutet said. At the elementary school level, it’s unlikely any are using rideshare vehicles, she said.
If the board were to approve a policy, it would be unique to the district. Officials said they have not found any rules in place at other area districts.
“The rationale and driver behind this was we have been seeing an increase in the number of students whose parents are arranging for their students to leave during the school day via a rideshare service,” Superintendent Dan Bridges said. “Knowing that we have responsibility for the safety of our kids, along with the parents, we sought advice of our legal counsel.”
Sometimes students are using a rideshare service because they have to go to a medical appointment or need to go home because of illness or a disciplinary issue, and their parents are unable to pick them up, Boutet said.
“Lyft and Uber don’t come in and sign the child out,” she said. “… It is not recommended by legal that we just allow our students to walk out and get into a rideshare service because if something would happen to them on their way home from school or to wherever they are going, the liability could come back to us.”
District officials said they also have concerns over sending students home to an empty house if they are sick or experiencing a medical emergency.
Instead, students could remain with a school nurse to monitor their symptoms and ensure their safety or another person on their emergency contacts list could be enlisted to pick them up, Boutet said. However, there are some medical scenarios in which the district would not consider a waiver and entrust a rideshare service, she said.
“I do trust our school’s medical staff and administration to make that call,” Boutet said.
District officials also understand that some families might need to use a rideshare service on occasion if they cannot leave work to take their child to a routine medical appointment, such as an orthodontist visit, she said.
“We want to be sensitive to people’s personal situations and definitely are looking at this from an equity lens,” Boutet said.
She also noted that some students have been using rideshares for transportation to and from sports and extracurricular activities, but the district is unable to monitor after-school situations, Boutet said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
