Transportation

2020-2021 Bus Service Sign up

Bus Service

Franklin is pleased to offer bus service. Please note this is a limited service. We prioritize based on need and hardship. We cannot guarantee a spot on the bus to any student until we have established the bus rider schedule for the year. If you would like to request bus service for the 2020-2021 school year, please fill out this form:

Bus Rider Request Form

2020-2021 Bus Stops

• Bent Creek Baptist Church (1554 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806)
• Chamber of Commerce ( 36 Montford Ave. Asheville, NC 28801)
• Goodwill on Patton Avenue (1616 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28806)
• Ingles on Long Shoals Rd (301 Long Shoals Road, Arden, NC 28704)
• Ingles in Mills River (3338 Boylston Hwy, Mills River, NC 28759)
• Ingles on Patton Ave and New Leicester Hwy (7 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville, NC 28806)
• Ingles on Weaverville Rd (499 Weaverville Rd, Asheville, NC 28804)
• South College (140 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28803)
• YMCA Fletcher (2775 Hendersonville Road, Arden, NC 28704)

Bus service will be provided when the school is operating under the State’s “Plan A” (all students attending in person) and “Plan B”, the hybrid in-person and remote learning model. Under Plan B, social distancing will be implemented, with fewer students on the bus, with students spaced apart from one another. All bus riders must complete a daily health screening and temperature check prior to boarding the school bus. Parents/guardians will wait with their student until they are cleared to board the bus. Passengers and drivers will wear cloth face coverings on the bus. Please plan to arrive at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the scheduled pick-up or drop-off time, and plan for the time it will take to complete the health screening. We appreciate your cooperation with the steps we all are taking to keep our students and staff safe and healthy.

In addition, there is a Franklin School of Innovation Carpooling Group on Facebook.  Parents are encouraged to join that group and find carpools in your area.  If the bus route and carpooling are unavailable in your area, parents are responsible for student transportation.

Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures – Updated for 2020-2021

Click here for FSI Traffic Flow Diagram

We are aware that the car line can test everyone’s patience. This will be particularly true this year, as we implement new health screening checks as part of our school arrival procedures. 

Sardis Road is a busy and under-built road.  Attention to the safety of our students and faculty and a few general rules will help keep traffic flowing and keep our impact on Sardis Road to a minimum. 

Please arrive during the designated times. This is critical to keeping our traffic moving, and also to ensuring that our campus is a safe space. If you are picking up students in grades 5 – 8, arrive no earlier than 2:45 pm. Recommended arrival times for middle school pick up – between 3:00 and 3:15 pm. If you are picking up students in grades 9 – 12, arrive no earlier than 3:30. Recommended arrival times for high school pick up is between 3:30 and 3:40 pm. 

All traffic must turn right at the exit to Sardis Road. It is extremely unsafe to turn left at the exit. After turning right, you can use the turn at the corner if you need to go east on Sardis. 

General Directions for ALL Grades

• All traffic enters the school through the main driveway (between the Valvoline shop and Four Brothers Pizzeria). Traffic is one-way and exits through the driveway adjacent to the WNC Barbell Gym. 
• We will be use three Pick Up Zones; these zones are the same as 2019-2020 school year.  
• All parents will be issued cards with the name and grade of their student. These cards are to be prominently displayed where school staff can view them at pick up. The purpose of the cards is to help us guide parents to the correct pick-up zones and to call students for prompt pick up. 
• The speed limit on campus is 10 miles per hour. 
• The Drop-Off/Pick-Up zones are Cell-Phone Free zones. Please demonstrate concern for the safety of our students and staff by putting your phones away as soon as you turn right onto a drop-off/pick-up zone. 
• Pull to the FRONT of the Drop-Off/Pick-Up Zone. Students will walk along the sidewalk to their car. Do not stop at the beginning or middle of the zone. 
• Parents/guardians must remain in the car line until their student(s) have competed the daily screening and temperature check.
• Do not arrive prior to 2:45 pm for middle school pick-up, or before 3:30 pm for high school. Early arrivers may be asked to park or to re-enter Sardis Road in order to keep our traffic moving. If you arrive early, pull to the side of the entry road (along the front field). High school students are released at 3:35 pm. 

Drop-Off Procedures

The school will use designated drop-off zones and entrances to ensure that all students are properly screened on arrival, and to maintain social distancing. Students will remain in their cars until a school staff member conducts the screening. Drivers may not leave until the full screening, including temperature checks, has been completed. Any student who does not pass the screening must return home and may participate in classes via remote learning. When students have been screened and approved to enter school, they will report directly to their classrooms through the designated entrance. 

Middle School Drop-Off – 7:40 – 8:00 am

Grades 5 & 6

Grades 5 and 6 will utilize the driveway that extends behind the new building, and will pull into the zone in front of the main entrance to the new building. Cars should be in the right lane only.  Remain in the car. A staff member will approach the car to ask the screening questions. Following screening questions, the student(s) will exit the car and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will then proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom.  Students will enter through the main door to the Parks or Johnson building. 

Grade 7

Grade 7 will use the first driveway, taking the 1st right hand turn on campus. Cars must use the left lane only. Remain in the car until a staff member conducts the screening questionnaire. When the staff member indicates that student(s) may leave the car, they will exit and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom. 7th grade students will enter the south (back) door of the Carver building, closest to the 7th grade classrooms.  

Grade 8

Grade 8 will use the second driveway (between Carver/Einstein and the new building), taking the 2nd right hand turn on campus. Cars must use the right lane only. Remain in the car until a staff member conducts the screening questionnaire. When the staff member indicates that student(s) may leave the car, they will exit and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom. 8th grade students will enter the north (front) door of the Carver building, closest to the 8th grade classrooms.  

High School Drop Off – 8 – 8:20 am

Grade 9

Grade 9 will use the second driveway (between Carver/Einstein and the new building), taking the 2nd right hand turn on campus. Cars must use the right lane only. Remain in the car until a staff member conducts the screening questionnaire. When the staff member indicates that student(s) may leave the car, they will exit and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom. 9th grade students will enter the west door of the Einstein building. 

Grade 10

Grade 10  will use the first driveway, taking the 1st right hand turn on campus. Cars must use the left lane only. Remain in the car until a staff member conducts the screening questionnaire. When the staff member indicates that student(s) may leave the car, they will exit and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom. 10th grade students will enter the west door of the Einstein building. 

Grades 11 and 12

Grades 11 and 12 will utilize the driveway that extends behind the new building, and will pull into the zone in front of the main entrance to the new building. Cars should be in the right lane only.  Remain in the car. A staff member will approach the car to ask the screening questions. Following screening questions, the student(s) will exit the car and wait for a temperature check. If approved, the student(s) will then proceed immediately to their 1st period classroom.  Students will enter through the main door to the new building; students with electives in Einstein will enter through the west door of Einstein. 

Carpools

Carpools will report to the designated zone for the youngest student in the carpool. For example, a carpool with 6th grade and 9th grade will report to the zone in front of the new (main) building. All students in the carpool will be screened at the same time. 

High school students who arrive early will wait in the designated waiting area.

Student Drivers

Student drivers will park in their designated zone and will then walk to the main entrance of the new building. Students may NOT enter through any other doors. They will wait outside the new building, standing 6 feet apart on the sidewalk, until they can be screened by the school staff member stationed in that location. 

Late Arrivals/Early Dismissal

Students arriving after 8:30 am or leaving before the end of the day must be signed in and out of the main office. Parents/guardians will park along the side of the driveway close to the main entrance of the new building, and will report to the main office. Please wait in the vestibule until the school receptionist is available to assist you. Parents/guardians must wait until their student has been screened before leaving. 

Bus Riders

Bus drivers will screen students before the student enters the school bus. Parents/guardians must wait at the bus stop until their student(s) has been screened. Any student who presents with a fever of 100 degrees or higher, or responds that they have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms, or have been in close contact with an individual with COVID-19 may not get on the school bus, and will return home with their parent/guardian. 

Middle School Pick-Up

We will use all three of our drives for pick up. Once you turn off the main entry road into a pick-up drive – traffic is one-lane only. This is a change from prior years. When you enter the pick up drive pull as far forward as possible. There is a designated loading zone in each of the drives. Students may only enter cars in the designated loading zones. We will have staff helping with the loading zones. 

For afternoon pick-up, form three (3) lanes of traffic when you enter Innovation Drive. 

• The far-right lane is for grade 7. Pick up for 7th grade will be the 1st drive – an immediate right turn behind “Mt. Franklin” (the big hill). Traffic in the pick-up zone is one lane only.  Pull as far forward as possible on the left side of the lane. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. 

• The middle lane is for grade 8. Pick-up for 8th grade is in the middle drive, between Einstein and Parks & Johnson buildings. Traffic in the pick-up zone is one lane only. Pull as far forward as possible on the right side of the lane. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. 

• The far left lane is for 5th and 6th grade. 5th and 6th grade pick up will be on the east side of our new building. Traffic is one lane only, proceeding behind the new building until you reach the designated loading zone. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. Staff will direct traffic into the loading zone, assist students in entering cars, and direct traffic back onto the main drive. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. 

High School Pick-Up

We will use the middle drive (in front of Einstein) and far drive (behind the new building) for high school pick up. Once you turn off the main entry road into a pick-up drive – traffic is one-lane only. When you enter the pick up drive pull as far forward as possible. There is a designated loading zone in each of the drives. Students may only enter cars in the designated loading zones. We will have staff helping with the loading zones. 

For afternoon pick-up, please form two (2) lanes of traffic when you enter Innovation Drive. 

• Grades 9 and 10: Enter the right lane. Pick up for 9th and 10th-grade students is the middle drive – between Einstein and Parks & Johnson buildings. Traffic in the pick-up zone is one lane only. Pull as far forward as possible on the right side of the lane. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. 

• Grades 11 and 12: Enter the left lane, and proceed along the drive around the new building. Pick up for 11th and 12th-grade students is on the east side of the new building. Traffic is one lane only, proceeding behind the new building until you reach the designated loading zone. Do not load students until you enter the designated loading zone. Staff will direct traffic into the loading zone, assist students in entering cars, and direct traffic back onto the main drive. 

Car Pools

All carpools will use the pick up on the east side of the new building. Middle school students who carpool with high school will wait in a classroom until high school is dismissed. All students – regardless of grade level – who are in a carpool will proceed to the east side of the new building at dismissal. 

Arrive at 3:30 if you drive a carpool with high school students. It does not matter if your carpool also includes 5th or 6th-grade students. They will not be dismissed until the high school dismissal time. This is critical to keep our car line moving efficiently and safely.  Cars that arrive early will be asked to move through our line and back onto Sardis Road.