WANAQUE — Lakeland Regional High School seniors are banned from taking limousines and luxury cars to prom.

Under new school rules, all who attend prom must take school-provided and chaperoned coach buses to and from the venue in Rockleigh on June 4.

Citing a focus on safety and security, Superintendent of Schools Hugh Beattie said there was no hesitation among administrators to take over transportation in a proactive move to protect students.

“We have in the past, are presently and will always take the safety and security of our students seriously,” he said on Tuesday.

The sentiment among students is sour, said Dana Bosland, a member of the senior class council.

Bosland and other students from Ringwood and Wanaque have been selling chocolate and holding clothing drives since freshman year to raise money for their senior prom. Now, she said she fears her class may not have the experience they worked to create. Parents are also displeased about the new protocol.

“It’s just kind of a tradition, and they’re taking that away,” said Holly Bosland, Dana’s mother.

School administrators first told class council members of their plan a couple of weeks ago, Bosland said. Confirmed in a letter to parents this week, the plan demands all senior prom attendees this June use district-provided buses. Those buses are scheduled to leave promptly at 6:15 p.m. and return at 11:45 p.m.

Bosland said students will essentially be held captive until the buses return them to the school at the end of the night.

No parents or students will be allowed to drive to The Rockleigh in Rockleigh, unlike when the school used the venue in 2018, records show. No limos or party buses will be permitted on school grounds.

Lakeland High School is not alone in this new rule. Millburn High School also transports attendees to and from prom on coach buses.

“We do not want buses and limos to impede space on our campus,” Beattie said.

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The school’s decision puts a stressful time crunch on the pre-prom tradition of photos at the New Jersey Botanical Garden in Ringwood, Bosland said. It also restricts the potential for a New York City trip after the prom, as some party-bus patrons have done in recent years.

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The Tuesday night prom already hurt the chances of a city excursion for many, Bosland said. Still, the night was selected to save money, she said. The expected $15 transportation fee from the district should eliminate any savings, she said.

“It’s frustrating,” she said.

Administrators have been vague when communicating the reasons for the switch, Bosland said. “Why not?” Beattie asked when asked why the district is taking over transportation duties.

“If kids had been showing up at the venue drunk, then I would totally get it,” Bosland said. “But it hasn’t been like that, and no one does that anymore. It’s not worth it. Times have changed.”

Bosland chalked up the switch to fears about dodgy limos. Beattie offered no specifics when asked about concerns that triggered the change or past problems with prom transportation.

The school’s increased involvement in this year’s prom has many seniors saying they don’t want to attend, Bosland. That will likely change, she added. They have been fundraising since freshman year.