Following the death of a student riding his bike to school, an online petition has been launched for safe transportation for students by getting school buses.

The online petition was created shortly after the death of Colton Thomas, who was killed when he was hit by a dump truck on his way to school at the Country Club Drive and Kings Lane intersection. Since the tragedy, online discussion regarding students’ safety ramped up, ranging from cross guards to better sidewalks to school buses.

According to the petition’s starter Lauralee Haines, parents and community members have raised concerns about school transportation in the past, including creating other petitions, but still face the same issues.

“Tullahoma is a growing community, but many students within Tullahoma City Schools still do not have access to school bus transportation. Every day, children are walking to and from school, crossing busy roads and navigating traffic simply because their families do not have another transportation option,” Haines said in the petition. “We believe it is time to revisit school transportation and find a realistic, sustainable solution.”

The petition further states that the community is asking Tullahoma City Schools, the Tullahoma Board of Education, and appropriate city and local officials “to work together to explore and implement safe school transportation options for Tullahoma students, with priority given to children who must walk along or cross hightraffi c roads and those without reliable transportation.”

“We understand that creating a transportation system requires funding, planning, staffing, and cooperation,” the petition read. “But those challenges should begin a conversation—not end one. Our children’s safety should be worth the effort.”

As of Monday, Sept. 7, the petition has garnered 705 signatures. Anyone interested in the petition can visit https://c. org/bRqdqvsqwL Study on buses in Tullahoma

The topic of having school buses in Tullahoma City Schools isn’t new for the school district, with calls for buses over the years, including in early 2025 when various instances of rain, snow, and cold temperatures hit the city. As discussion continues about buses and what/who can make the call, Tennessee state law T.C.A. 49-6-2101 states that “boards of education may provide school transportation facilities for children who live more than one and half miles by the nearest accessible route from the school to which they are assigned by the board of education and in which they are enrolled.”

In other words, school boards are not required by law to provide school transportation to students; however, it has the authority to do so.

Just before the start of the school year in 2025, former Director of Schools Dr. Catherine Stephens, then Deputy Director of Schools Dr. April Norris and Finance Director Hank Jordan shared with The News a study that was conducted in 2024 where they examined a school system that was comparably sized to TCS, and evaluated what would be the potential startup cost, nonfi scal challenges and benefits to having school bus services. The results from the study would be shared with and discussed with the Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen during a study session in May 2024.

According to the study’s findings, which was provided to The News, the potential startup cost would be $6,286,713 minimally, which consisted of: adding 26 more buses ($145,000 per 78-passenger bus) totaling out to $3,770,000; hiring 28 more drivers with the driver personnel cost being $1,642,085; the bus aide personnel cost being $137,579; the transportation office personnel cost being $315,708; the maintenance/upkeep cost would be $346,341; the necessary software would be $33,000 and the insurance needed would be $42,000. Jordan added that the potential start-up cost did not include the cost to have a bus garage like the Coffee County School’s bus garage, which would need, according to the study: land for the buses, fencing around the buses, video surveillance for buses when parked, video cameras on buses, office building/space for the transportation department, furnishings for the office, technology, etc.

In addition to the startup cost, Jordan added that the annual cost for school bus transportation in Tullahoma would be approximately $2.5 million, based on the numbers from the study at the time.

The study also highlighted the challenges TCS would face as a district. These challenges included: locating finding drivers, which was something the school system had struggled with until recently, land to house the bus fleet, changing the start times for schools, additional after school work, setting up a new system for student discipline on buses, the impact the weather will have to openings and closing with more buses on the roads and the neighborhood roads not being configured for optimal bus use, which was something that the drivers expressed concerns about. Similarly, the study listed benefits to the school system having a bus transportation system. The benefits included students in school zones having access to transportation daily to get to school and home; rezoning schools to meet the demands of growing areas; job creation; and a possible decline in truancy numbers.