Richardson ISD is implementing a new policy for students riding district buses ahead of the 2025–26 school year.
Students from Lake Highlands and other neighborhoods in the district will return to school on Aug. 12. This school year — for the first time ever — all students riding RISD buses will be required to present their district-issued badge when boarding and exiting.
According to a RISD release, the measure is part of an effort to shore up student safety. Bus badge requirements will also ensure students are on their assigned route and enable a quick response if needed, the release further stated.
Badge requirements will apply to all students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Grade 3-12 students will be issued one badge at the beginning of the school year, while younger students will be issued two. In the event of a lost badge, the district will provide the first replacement free of charge, with successive copies costing $3, according to RISD’s website.
Seemingly part of a wider push to standardize and widen the scale of district-issued badge use, the new policy comes one year after RISD began requiring elementary students to wear badges, which had previously been reserved for secondary students. The badges are also used to check out library books and purchase lunch.
