Fighting high fuel costs and overcrowding, Indian Creek School District officials said they are forced to leave some students finding their own way to school.

"We got a phone call from the bus driver that there is an overcrowding problem and they can no longer pick up at Federico's and we have to find her transportation," said Carl Stewart, a Steubenville resident whose daughter has caught the bus to Indian Creek schools for the past six years.

Indian Creek Transportation Director Brenda Staffilino said rides are considered a courtesy to open enrollment students and they just can't afford it anymore.

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"As fuel has continued to rise, parents are putting more kids on the bus," Staffilino said.

She said the district assesses the 15-bus budget each year, trying to make the best choices for students while staying cost-efficient.

"The number of kids in Mingo Junction are on the rise I tried to find a solution and couldn't. That's why we had to notify the parents that they can no longer ride," Staffilino said.

She said 10 open enrollment students in Steubenville will have to find their own rides to school, but there is still room on a bus for eight students in Hopedale.

As of now, there is still space for after-school transportation, but she said those seats may soon be taken because school officials anticipate the number of students may increase in October.

Staffilino said, by law, the district does not have to bus students in grades 9 through 12 or students who live within two miles of the district's border.

If overcrowding and fuel costs get worse, she said rides could also be cut for kids who live inside the district.

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