The Frisco ISD board of trustees approved transportation exception guidelines that would provide bus transportation for middle school students who have to cross major roadways to get to school.

The exception was created to get students, especially those crossing roadways with speed limits of 45 mph or more, to school safely, said Doug Zambiasi, assistant superintendent for support services.

This exception, which would take effect next fall, applies even to students who live close to school as long as they have to cross a major thoroughfare, including a state highway or farm-to-market road.

FISD already allowed this exception to elementary school students, but several raised concerns spurred the discussion to extend the exception to middle school students.

One of those concerns included students having to cross FM 423 from the west to get to Pioneer Heritage Middle School, school board member John Hoxie said.

"We've got traffic moving at an excess of 50 mph, and we've got sixth, seventh and eighth graders trying to cross that," Hoxie said. "We just thought it was prudent to extend this case to middle schools."

Zambiasi said the district hopes to keep the same bus routes, but will adjust the routes if it sees an influx of students opting for bus transportation under the exception.

"I think it'll make a lot of parents really, really happy," he said. "The only drawback to this is some parents will say, 'Well why didn't you do this sooner."