FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Army families that enjoyed bus transportation for their off-post students to before- and after-school on-post programs will soon have to make other arrangements.
Two weeks into the school year, Fort Campbell announced it is ending transportation services provided from Clarksville-Montgomery County School System off-post schools, according to an Aug. 18 Department of War memo obtained by Clarksville Now. “Due to the discontinuation of dedicated transportation funding, we must reallocate our resources to maintain care operations,” the memo said.
What are Fort Campbell CYS SAC programs?
Child and Youth Services (CYS) School Age Care (SAC) programs remain in operation, serving hundreds of families who live on post, with a waiting list about 70 kids deep. Fort Campbell’s two School Age Centers provide before- and after-school programs for K-5th grade that include STEM, arts, sports, homework help, and summer camps.
Currently, students using those services are provided CYS SAC bus transportation from CMCSS schools to the on-post programs. But starting Oct. 1, parents whose children attend CMCSS schools will have to arrange their own transportation to the CYS and SAC facilities.
“This decision was driven by a reduction in available resources and the need to prioritize those resources toward mandated CYS programs and services,” Fort Campbell spokeswoman Nondice Thurman told Clarksville Now.
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“Transportation to and from off-post schools is a non-mandated service that CYS has historically provided when resources allowed. After careful consideration, CYS determined that continuing this service is no longer sustainable.”
Affected CMCSS elementary schools include Barkers Mill, Freedom, Glenellen, Hazelwood, Kenwood, Minglewood, Northeast, Pisgah, Ringgold and West Creek. Thurman said about 100 families are affected by the change.
“We recognize this change may create challenges for some of our military families, and the decision was not made lightly,” Thurman said.
What next for families using buses?
On social media pages, several parents expressed dismay over the announcement, saying they’d have to scramble to make arrangements for their kids. Others said the off-post bus service was a luxury not provided at other military installations. Thurman confirmed to Clarksville Now that Fort Campbell was the last Army installation still offering off-post SAC transportation.
“The Fort Campbell SAC program remains available to eligible families, and CYS remains committed to providing safe, high-quality child and youth programs that support the readiness and resilience of the Fort Campbell community,” Thurman said.
The memo sent to families included information on an alternate service: the YMCA Fun Company Before/After School Care. That is offered at 20 CMCSS elementaries: Barksdale, Byrns Darden, Carmel, Cumberland Heights, East Montgomery, Freedom, Glenellen, Kenwood, Kirkwood, Liberty, Montgomery Central, Moore, Northeast, Oakland, Pisgah, Ringgold, Rossview, Sango, West Creek and Woodlawn.
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