Carpooling & Carpool Lane

What is carpooling?
Carpooling is when two or more families share a ride to a common area, such as work or school.  It is a good opportunity for parents to meet other parents to help alleviate some of the daily responsibilities of driving their children to and from school.

Carpooling is flexible - participants can choose to carpool everyday or just when it's convenient.

It is also a great way to save money and set a good example for your children by reducing greenhouse gases and traffic congestion in your community.  You can save a great deal of money on gas as well as reduce the wear and tear on your vehicle.


Here's how the SchoolPool Program works:

• First, your family completes the registration form. If you're already carpooling, biking or walking in groups, add the names of those families to receive updated ridematch letters and periodic incentives.
  

• Next, your family receives a ridematch letter with a list of parents living in your neighborhood (within a 3 mile radius). Select a family or families you would like to carpool, bike, and/or walk with to and from school.
  
  
• Finally, the carpool, bike, and walk group you've selected signs-up for the Commuter License program. The Commuter License is used to provide information to the school on each student's drop-off and pick-up schedule for your child's safety. As part of the Commuter License package each parent receives his/her vehicle hangtag to be displayed during pick-up and drop-off, or to have access to the school's carpool lane, if applicable.
  

Benefits of carpooling:

• Use of carpool Lane.  A carpool lane is specifically designated area where registered participants can utilize to pick-up or drop-off their students instead of waiting in the long lines at the student loading area.  The carpool lane is a faster easier way to pick-up or drop-off your students.

In order to use the carpool lane parents must first choose another family to carpool with. After identifying a carpool partner, complete the Commuter License Form and submit it to the school, once SFCS receives the information about your carpool group, you will receive a carpool lane pass, to start using the carpool lane.  A list of students carpooling will be provided to School Administrator for proper dismissal.

• Improves safety because less vehicles are traveling to and around the school
• Provides a voluntary alternative to driving children to and from school every day
• Teaches children a great lesson on saving our environment
• Makes new friends