Definitions

  • Resident District - The school district in which the student resides or primary residence. A primary residence is defined by the address of the biological/adoptive parent or other person having court appointed legal custody of the student, regardless of where the student physically lives.


  • Serving District - The school district in which the magnet school is located.  Example: Monroe Elementary is a part of Anoka-Hennepin so in that case Anoka-Hennepin is the serving district.


School Closing
Decisions about school closings or late start are made by the individual districts that comprise NWSISD.  If school is cancelled or has a late start due to inclement weather or there is a situational closure, such as a power outage or water main break, the individual schools/districts will announce this information on their websites as well as on local television news media:  WCCO-TV (channel 4), KSTP-TV (channel 5), KMSP-TV (channel 9), KARE-TV (channel 11).

Emergency and/or weather related:
If the student’s resident district is closed and the serving district is open, NWSISD will not provide transportation to or from school.  If families elect to bring their student to school that day they will also be responsible for transportation home.  

If the student’s serving district or magnet school is closed, NWSISD will not provide transportation to the school or any other location on that day.

Weather Related School Delay:
The following are the potential scenarios for mornings with a two-hour late start:   
1.  Resident district is starting two-hours late and serving district is starting on time.

  • No AM transportation
  • PM transportation will follow regular schedule


2.  Resident district is starting on time and serving district is starting two-hours late.

  • No AM transportation
  • PM transportation will follow regular schedule


3. Both districts are starting two-hours late.

  • No AM transportation
  • PM transportation will follow regular schedule


4. Resident district is closed but serving district is open

  • No AM or PM transportation


5. Resident district is open and serving district is closed

  • No AM or PM transportation


Resident Address Changes
In order to keep bus routes operating smoothly and efficiently, families need to notify their school and/or school district’s enrollment center about a change in address or status as soon as possible.  The school/district’s enrollment center will contact the transportation department at which time adjustments to the bus routes will be made. Bus routes will only be adjusted when the school/district is notified of the change.  

NWSISD transportation contractor will begin setting up bus routes by mid-August of each year.  For parents that enroll their child in a magnet school after routes have been set, they should not expect a specific neighborhood bus stop until the third week of school.  Students may utilize existing bus stops during the first two weeks of school but it will be the parents’ responsibility to drop off and pick up their child from that stop.  

If a family knows their child will not need a bus ride in the morning, they are encouraged to call the transportation company listed on the transportation postcard sent to their home in August.  This communication will allow the driver to adjust the morning route to save time and fuel costs.

Transportation Routes
As a part of NWSISD, magnet students receive free transportation to and from their magnet school as long as they live within the seven member district collaborative boundaries.  For magnet students who reside in the same district as their magnet school, referred to as the serving district, the serving district will provide transportation within their district guidelines.  For magnet students who reside in a district other than the serving district, NWSISD will coordinate transportation.


Parents will designate one morning address and one afternoon address, which will be used to set up bus routes.  These addresses may be the same or different; however, both addresses must be within the resident district and be consistent five days per week.

The magnet school bus stop location is usually in the same location where resident district students catch the bus to be transported to the neighborhood-designated school.  **Please refer to your resident district’s transportation guidelines for further explanation.

Daycare/Childcare
If a family needs transportation to and/or from a daycare location the following rules apply:

  • The students home address and daycare are both located in the serving district, the serving district will provide transportation to/from the home address or daycare location.


  • The students home address and daycare are both located in the resident district, NWSISD will provide transportation to/from the home address or daycare location.


  • Daycare transportation for magnet students who reside in a different district than the serving district and request one bus stop in the serving district and one bus stop in the resident district will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the serving district’s transportation department.


  • The student’s resident district and serving district are the same but daycare location is in a different district, transportation will not be provided.


Joint Custody
If a family has a joint custody arrangement in which the child resides at multiple addresses within one week or on an alternating schedule, NWSISD will follow state transportation guidelines.  Parents will designate one morning address and one afternoon address, which will be used to set up the bus routes.  These addresses may be the same or different; however, both addresses must be within the resident district and be consistent five days per week.

If one parent does not live on the same established bus route, that parent may contact NWSISD to inquire about the location of the closest existing bus stop. Parents may bring their child to or pick their child up from that bus stop for transportation to and from school.

If you have additional questions about NWSISD Transportation services please call 612-789-5128 or email us at transportation@nws.k12.mn.us



updated June 2023

Contact Transportation: (612) 789-5128  transportation@nws.k12.mn.us  ​​

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One task of Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD) is to coordinate transportation for students attending a magnet school outside of their resident district. Our goal is to bring safe and efficient routing solutions to a multi-district and geographically large transportation area. This sometimes requires bus stop criteria that differs from many school district transportation guidelines. As always, our primary goal is safety and reliable transportation. Below you will find information concerning School Closings, Winter Weather, Address Changes, Transportation Routes, Daycare, and Joint Custody. ​Only students enrolled through NWSISD can receive busing through NWSISD. Siblings who are not enrolled through NWSISD cannot be transported by NWSISD. 

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Transportation assignments will be mailed to families the last week of August for the upcoming school year.

Transportation