School Busing For All

In towns across New Jersey, school buses aren’t just yellow vehicles rolling down quiet streets — they’re a lifeline connecting families to education. For many families, transportation to school is automatic. But for one family in Parsippany-Troy Hills, that wasn’t the case — until they took their fight all the way to a legal victory.

A Fight for What State Law Promises

Under New Jersey law, public school districts are required to provide transportation aid — either via bus rides or “aid in lieu of transportation” — to students attending schools, including private and religious schools, so long as those schools fall within a certain distance of the family’s home. That distance is measured along public roads or walkways and capped at 20 miles. Districts must follow that law rather than pick and choose how to apply it. But in this case, the local board of education initially refused to honor those rights for a family whose daughter attends a Christian school. The board claimed the school was more than 20 miles away — even though the family provided clear evidence showing it was not. Rather than accept the measurements, the district doubled down and denied the transportation benefits that state law guarantees.

Taking the District to Court

Rather than back down, the family — with legal support — took their case to administrative court. An Administrative Law Judge, Aurelio Vincitore, agreed that the board had violated New Jersey’s transportation rules by using an incorrect distance standard that ignored public roadways and walkways, in direct conflict with what state regulations require. The judge granted a summary judgment in favor of the family, a decisive legal win that forces the school district to provide the transportation aid the student is owed. This isn’t just about one ride to school. For the family involved, this was about ensuring children receive equal treatment under the law — regardless of whether they attend a public, private, or faith-based school.

What This Victory Means

For New Jersey parents, this case serves as a reminder of two important things:

• State law matters. New Jersey clearly requires districts to honor transportation rights for eligible students — no matter what kind of school they attend, so long as it’s within the legal distance.

  
  

• Parents have recourse. When a district misapplies the rules, families can challenge those decisions in administrative or legal settings and prevail.

  
  

Countless families rely on school transportation — whether for public schools, charter schools, or private religious education. For the Parsippany-Troy Hills family who fought this fight, the win wasn’t just about a bus ride — it was about equal access to education, respect for the law, and persistence in the face of resistance.