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The Compass will not publish Norfolk Public Schools’ bus schedules in this year’s back-to-school issue of Aug. 26.

The Norfolk schools system has decided to no longer list school bus stops in newspapers or on its Web site out of safety concerns for students.

“As the world is changing, we just felt like it was the prudent thing to do,” said John W. Hazelette, Norfolk’s senior director of transportation services.

Hazelette cited reasons for the policy change as custody disputes between parents, terrorism concerns and possible abduction from a bus stop.

Bus route information will be mailed to students’ homes by the end of August, and an automated telephone call will remind parents that bus information is on the way. Parents also can call their child’s school for information.

“We think there are more positives than negatives,” Hazelette said. “We think this is in the best interest of the children.”

For more information, parents should contact their child’s school.

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