Transportation Contract

Transportation Forms

Transportation Policy

Bus Routes (Protected)

Car Pick-Up and Drop-Off

Silent Dismissal

Bus Information

Do you want to change your child’s transportation from BUS to CAR PICK UP? For Grades K-5, you may make this change each day before 2:45 p.m. through your Silent Dismissal account.

Eagle Ridge Academy partners with private transportation company Metropolitan Transportation Network (MTN) to provide transportation to and from school. Should you have a transportation issue either before the school office opens (7:30 a.m.) or after it closes (4:00 p.m.); please call the transportation company directly and speak with the dispatcher. The contact number for MTN is 763-571-1541.

  • Fourteen routes service the metro area. Routes are established in a hub system with centralized locations along the routes for convenient pick up and drop off.
  • The Academy currently charges a transportation fee of $300.00 per student with a family cap of $750.00 per academic year. Students transporting from the Hopkins school district are exempt from the transportation fee.
  • A signed transportation contract along with payment must be on file prior to your student riding the bus.
  • Bus routes are password protected. Please contact Karen Conner at kconner@eagleridgeacademy.org for the password.

Carpooling – Organized by ERA PTO

Thank you for your interest in carpooling. The PTO serves families by maintaining a list of those interested in cooperating to share drop off and/or pick up responsibilities. This list is electronic and maintained through our Family Directory, Membership Toolkit (available online and as an app). The PTO is not involved in matching families and does not background check, screen, or otherwise vouch for individuals on the carpool interest list. All risk and responsibility for carpooling is assumed by families choosing to participate.

You have control over what information you share and the directory is available both online and as an app. Create an account here. You can also use this same link to access an existing account. Once you are logged in to the Membership Toolkit directory, the Carpool Interest form can be found under Sign-ups.

If you have any questions, please contact us at pto.eagleridge@gmail.com.

Car Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Do you want to change your child’s transportation from BUS to CAR PICK-UP? For Grades K-5, you may make this change each day before 2:45 p.m. through your Silent Dismissal account.

When picking up after school, parents will have two options of how to receive students: parking lot pick-up or pick-up inside of school. Read below to see how the process for each option will work. Please note that the process is different for students in grades K-5 and in grades 6-12. Grade K-5 students will have pick-up numbers. Grade 6-12 students will not. Please be respectful to our staff; they are here for the safety of your children. Please click here to view the parking lot map.

K-5 Students

Doors to the school open at 7:30 a.m. Students in grades K-5 will be released at 3:00 p.m.

A.M. Drop-Off:

  1. When entering the parking lot through the west entrance, drive straight ahead to enter the carpool lane, alternating with those coming from the north entrance (marked on map).
  2. When entering the parking lot through the north entrance, follow directional arrows by turning right, left, and then left again to enter the carpool lane, alternating with those coming from the west entrance (marked on map).
  3. Drive forward to enter the curbside drop-off lane (right lane) and pull to the curb letting your student out. Please move ahead as far as possible to fill in gaps in this lane. Students will only be allowed to exit cars in this lane, not the passing lane (left lane); children must exit from the passenger side of the car. Parents are required to stay in the vehicle. If your child needs help for any reason then you must exit the carpool lane and park in a designated parking spot. This is to keep both you and your child(ren) safe.
  4. Once you have dropped off your student, exit the parking lot by merging to the passing lane (left lane) and following signals out of the parking lot.
  5.  Alternatively, you may choose to park in the designated parent parking spaces and walk your child(ren) to the Main Entrance (Door 2). Do NOT park in the parking lots across the street. This is a danger as there are no crosswalks or lights available.

P.M. Parking Lot Pick-Up:

  1. Have your child’s pick-up number displayed in your car window as you enter the ERA parking lot by driving straight through the west entrance off Bren Road West (marked on map).
  2. Drive forward to enter the curbside pick-up lane (same as drop-off) and pull to the curb waiting for your student (we will have called your number by the time you get to the curb). Please move ahead as far as possible to fill in gaps in this lane. Please note, this zone is for pick-up and drop-off only. Cars parked for an extended period will be asked to move to expedite the process for all.
  3. Once you’ve retrieved your student, pull into the bypass lane (left) and exit the parking lot.

P.M. Pick-Up Inside of School:

  1. Park in a designated parent parking space. Do not park in the handicapped stall without a permit.
  2. Enter the school through the Main Entrance (Door 2).
  3. Communicate your child’s pick-up number to the supervising staff member.
  4. Your child will be called from their classroom to meet you in the Forum.

*If you must get out of your car to unload your child during carpool, you must utilize the parent parking option rather than parking in the carpool lane. If you park, you must have your child walk into the building using the cross walks. Do not drop off your child in this area from an idling car.

6-12 Students

Doors to the school open at 7:30 a.m. Students in grades 6-12 will be released at 3:10 p.m.

A.M. Drop-Off:

  1. When entering the parking lot through the west entrance, drive straight ahead to enter the carpool lane, alternating with those coming from the north entrance (marked on map).
  2. When entering the parking lot through the north entrance, follow directional arrows by turning right, left, and then left again to enter the carpool lane, alternating with those coming from the west entrance (marked on map).
  3. Drive forward to enter the curbside drop-off lane (right lane) and pull to the curb letting your student out. Please move ahead as far as possible to fill in gaps in this lane. Students will only be allowed to exit cars in this lane, not the passing lane (left lane).
  4. Once you have dropped off your student, exit the parking lot by merging to the passing lane (left lane) and following signals out of the parking lot.

P.M. Pick-Up:

  1. Enter the ERA parking lot through any entrance.
  2. Park in the designated “Parent-Parking” spaces (see map). Your student is then able to walk out to your car using the crosswalks in the parking lot.
  3. Once you have retrieved your student, exit the parking lot.

Transportation Timeline 2024-25

Transportation planning for 2024-25 has begun. Eagle Ridge Academy is excited to announce we will be adding a new tool for parents for transportation communication and route tracking. We have purchased an application called Here Comes the Bus. This application will provide real-time tracking of bus locations and faster communication of any delays directly from MTN dispatch. Parents can download the application to their phone and use the school code to connect to their child’s bus route. 

The Academy has worked hard to keep transportation affordable for our families. We have absorbed the increasing costs of transportation and have not implemented an increase in transportation fees since fall of 2018. As costs for transportation continue to rise, it is necessary to increase the transportation fee for the first time in six years. The transportation fee for the 2024-25 school year will be $450 per student, with a family cap of $1125. Many of the surrounding charter schools have higher per student transportation fees or limit bussing to the resident school district where their building is located. 

The Academy offers a hub transportation system with centrally located stops within communities and does not schedule stops for individual home addresses. To build routes that will best serve the Academy, we need your timely participation.

If you wish to be included in the routing for the 2024-25 school year and are NOT currently using Academy-provided transportation, please complete a Change in Transportation form by April 15. We also ask that you complete the form if you wish to discontinue using the Academy-provided transportation for the 2024-25 school year. If there is no change to your transportation, no action is required. 

Transportation contracts for 2024-25 will be available on the Academy’s website on June 1. Signed Transportation Contracts with full payment must be submitted by July 1. Once the completed contract is signed and the full payment is received, your child will be assigned a bus route. Final bus routes will be based on contracts received by July 1.  

We are unable to guarantee transportation for your child(ren) if the Transportation Contract and full payment are not received by July 1. Contracts and/or payments received after July 1 will be assessed as a $50 per student late fee and students will be added to transportation as space allows. 

For questions regarding transportation, please contact Karen Conner, Operations Manager, at kconner@eagleridgeacademy.org

MAY 15, 2024: Building of initial routes. Initial routes will be built using data from students currently using Academy-provided bus service, data from Transportation Change Request Forms, and data from all new students who have requested transportation upon enrollment for the 2024-25 school year.

JUNE 1, 2024: Initial routes will be published. Eagle Ridge Academy will host a Transportation Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 3, with school and transportation company managers to provide feedback regarding routes.

JULY 1, 2024: All families, new and returning, including those who used Academy-provided transportation for the 2023-24 school year must complete a 2024-25 Transportation Contract and pay in full to guarantee transportation for the first day of school.Transportation Contracts from the 2023-24 school year will not carry over to the 2024-25 school year. Contracts and payments received after July 1 will be charged a $50 per student late fee and transportation will not be guaranteed for the first day of school. Contracts received without payment will not confirm transportation and bus placements will not be reserved.

AUGUST 1, 2024: Final routes will be published based on contracts received by July 1, 2024. Additional changes to routes will be made only for safety concerns, not for convenience in location. The Academy reserves the right to make changes to routes that might affect the timing or location of bus stops.