Norwin School District could start sending a school bus into the Dartmoor Estates plan.

Until now the school bus had only stopped at the entrance to the plan, forcing children to either walk or have their parents drive them to the bus stop. Typically, the school district does not send buses into areas that are still undergoing construction because of the potential for blocked or restricted roads.

Superintendent John Boy-lan said, at the Monday night school board meeting, the district had received a request from North Huntingdon Township Planning Director Andrew Blenko to send a bus into the plan.

In a separate interview, Blenko said the number of parents driving their children to the intersection of Pickford Street and Mckanin Road and sitting in their cars to wait for the bus concerned the township.

"You end up with a full lane of cars sitting on Pickford, which pretty much restricts that," said Blenko, adding that Pickford is only 20 feet wide.

The township and the plan's developer, Maronda Estates, agreed to make sure the road remained open when the bus enters the plan, and Maronda officials said they would build a temporary cul-de-sac in the plan to allow the bus to turn around. Once phases two and three of the plan are complete, new roads would create a turn new roads would create a turn around loop for buses.

If the district found a road blocked or restricted, or if the cul-de-sac is blocked, Boylan said the district would give the township 48 hours notice and then stop sending the bus into the plan.

n In other business, the school board discussed the possibility of putting air conditioning in the district's field house.

Engineer Hank Tkacik told the board that it was possible to put one-room units in the central core of the building, including the weight room, team room and trainer's room, but that air conditioning the locker rooms would require installing a central cooling system.

Tkacik said the core rooms are "relatively uncomplicated space to get cooling in there."

He estimated the cost would be approximately $12,000. Installing a central system would cost between $200,000 and $250,000.

School Board Member Thomas Strum asked why air conditioning had not been installed at the time the building was built. Tkacik explained that at the time, the board had not thought the field house would be used during the hot, summer months.

Board President Robert Perkins suggested that cooling only the three interior rooms would be the best option. Boylan said he would put the item on the agenda for a future meeting.

n The board also heard a report from Boylan about the possibility of moving the homecoming football game from Saturday afternoon to Friday evening.

Members of the football team and boosters had raised concerns that the Saturday afternoon games did not leave enough time for team members and cheerleaders to prepare for the Saturday evening dance and that the afternoon temperatures were too hot for fans and players alike.

Boylan and members of the high school administration, along with Perkins, attended a meeting last week with representatives from student council, the football team and members of the North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin communities.

Boylan said the meeting addressed the benefits of moving the game, as well as some of the drawbacks, such as alumni having a more difficult time getting to a Friday night game and the question of breaking with a nearly 50-year-old tradition.

The school board seemed to agree that students should have the final say.

"We're in this for the kids, that's the main thing," said Member Dennis Rittenhouse.

The 2008 homecoming is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 11.