BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Parish School System on Wednesday announced a new Transportation Opt-Out Program for the 2025-26 school year.

District officials said the program allows families to decline school bus services if they don't plan to use them. It is designed to make the school district's transportation department more efficient.

The opt-out program targets families who plan to provide alternative transportation for students.

"By participating in the program, families will help the district reduce the number of buses in operation, improve route planning accuracy and shorten travel times for students who rely on bus services," the district noted.

The opt-out program also allows parents to opt back into bus services, noting that the opt-out only applies to daily school transportation, meaning students will still have access to buses for field trips and other school-sponsored activities.

Additionally, parents of students within one mile of their home school will be responsible for their own transportation, per Louisiana Department of Education policy.