8600 - TRANSPORTATION

West Clermont Local School District

Administrative Guidelines

8600 - TRANSPORTATION

The following guidelines are established to implement Board of Education policy on transportation.

A.	Administrative Responsibilities

	The third party contractor is responsible for planning and operating the transportation program, and for the maintenance of all District vehicles. Included within this scope of responsibility are:

	1.	establishing bus routes and time schedules;

	2.	coordinating the dispatching operations;

	3.	supervising and analyzing vehicle maintenance programs;

	4.	preparing and submitting all State/Federal reports;

	5.	selecting, training, and supervising bus drivers;

	6.	preparing transportation budgets;

	7.	developing specifications for bids on buses, equipment, and/or contracted services;

	8.	verifying the qualifications of bus drivers;

	9.	determining whether or not transportation shall be provided for a resident student;

	10.	determining which resident students qualify for transportation to and from a State-chartered nonpublic school or an approved community school;

	11.	determining the reasonableness and practicability of transporting a qualified resident student to and from their school of attendance;


	12.	coordinate with the Director of Student Services to arrange for joint transportation of homeless students when necessary.

	13.	Verifying bus drivers document and submit Student Bus Referral forms when necessary.

	Quality transportation services require cooperation and effective communication with the building administrators who shall be responsible for:

	1.	supervision at bus loading and unloading zones;

	2.	communication to parents and students concerning student behavior, safety, schedules, and the like;

	3.	addressing all behavior problems;

	4.	enforcement of traffic regulations on the school site;

	5.	communication about overcrowding and unsafe conditions or practices.

B.	Bus Conduct

	1.	Parents are to be informed that school bus transportation is a privilege and not a right and that the bus driver is the sole authority on the bus while students are being transported.

	2.	Parents are also to be informed that they are responsible for:

		a.	the safety of their child while going to or from the bus stop and while waiting for the school bus, including waiting for a school bus in a location clear of traffic and away from the bus stop;

		b.	their child being at the bus stop at least ten (10) minutes prior to scheduled pick-up time;

		c.	damage by their child to school buses, personal property, or public property.


		d.	Students are expected to conduct themselves in a proper manner at bus stops. The Board will not enter into disputes involving parents and/or students concerning matters that take place prior to the student boarding the school bus, or after the student has disembarked from the bus on his/her way home.

		e.	Students will ride only assigned school buses and will board and depart from the bus at assigned bus stops. Students will not be permitted to ride unassigned buses for any reason other than an emergency, except as approved by the principal.

		f.	A change in a student's regular assigned bus stop may be granted for a special need, if a note from a parent is submitted to the building principal stating the reason for the request and the duration of the change and the principal approves.

		g.	A permanent transfer to another route or bus stop for morning pick-up and/or afternoon drop-off will only be made upon the approval of the third party contractor.

		h.	Students shall cross all streets at least ten (10) feet in front of the school bus and after the driver has signaled the student that it is all right to do so.

		i.	For the safe operation of the school bus, noise on buses shall be kept at a minimum with students speaking in reasonable conversation voices. Students must be quiet at railroad crossings and other danger zones as designated by the bus driver.

		j.	The following cargo is forbidden to be transported on a school bus: pets, alcoholic beverages, drugs, ammunition, explosives, firearms, knives, or any other dangerous materials or objects. If there is a question on the transportation of a particular item, the Director of Operations should be consulted.


C.	Student Surveillance

	In accord with Board policy, the Director of Operations may install the appropriate equipment for video recording the interior of the buses while transporting students. S/He should follow the District's purchasing practices (AG 6320) in obtaining such equipment and abide by the following guidelines for the use of such video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment:

	1.	Arrange for the installation of the video recording device in a location on each bus that will allow for the camera to record all students.

	2.	Establish a procedure whereby no one observes a video recording without the prior authorization of the appropriate building principal. Observation shall be done only by those who are authorized to view student records and in accordance with AG 8330 - Student Records.

	Any disciplinary action resulting from the use of the video-recording device shall be determined by the appropriate building principal. Due process shall be provided to the students involved in accordance with Board policy and administrative guidelines relating to discipline. Any use of photographs obtained through the use of the video recording devices shall be in accordance with Federal and State law.

	The third party contractor shall be responsible for reviewing the video recordings to verify that bus safety procedures are being followed properly and the buses are being operated in accord with District guidelines and State law.


	D.	Eligibility of Nonpublic or Community School Students for Transportation

		In accordance with State law, the Director of Operations shall determine the length of time necessary to transport a resident student attending a chartered nonpublic school or attending an approved community school located outside the School District from the school bus collection point designated by the Director of Operations for that student's attendance area to the student's nonpublic or community school of attendance. If it is determined that the student can be transported in thirty (30) minutes or less, then s/he is eligible for District transportation; however, if it is determined that the length of time required to transport the student to his/her chartered nonpublic school or approved community school located outside the School District is more than thirty (30) minutes, then s/he is not eligible for District transportation.

		To determine the length of time required, if necessary, the distance between the designated collection point and the chartered nonpublic school or approved community school located outside the School District shall be clocked while driving in a school bus at the time of day that the student would normally be transported on the most direct route possible.

		The Board, however, will not be required to provide transportation for any native student enrolled in a community school if the Board has entered into an agreement with the governing authority of the community school that designates the community school as responsible for providing or arranging the transportation of the District's native students to and from the community school and is certified by the State Board of Education as having met certain requirements established by State law. Also, the Board will not be responsible for providing transportation for any native student enrolled in an approved community school if the governing authority of the community school submits a written notification to the Board, by a date prescribed by the State Board of Education, stating that the governing authority will accept responsibility for providing or arranging for the transportation of the District's native students to and from the community school.


	E.	Providing Payment-in-Lieu of Transportation

		In accordance with State law, the Director of Operations may determine, and advise the Board, that the transportation of a resident student, who is otherwise eligible for transportation under State law, Board policy, and these guidelines, is impracticable. In such instances, the Board may, in lieu of providing transportation, pay the parent an amount per student as determined by the Board and shall not exceed the average cost of transportation of children by all boards of education in the State during the next preceding year.

		Parents who are eligible for payment-in-lieu of transportation shall be notified by the Director of Operations. Parents who are eligible for payment-in-lieu of transportation must accept, in writing, the Board�s determination that they are eligible for such payment.

		Parents who do not agree with the decision regarding the impracticality of transporting their child(ren) must inform the Board, in writing, of their disagreement. Upon receipt of such notice, the Board shall seek confirmation from the State Board of Education that such transportation is impracticable. The Board shall provide transportation until the State Board of Education renders its decision.

	F.	Special Services

		In compliance with Board policy, the transportation services may be provided for field trips, co-curricular trips, and extra-curricular trips, including athletics.

		Transportation may be provided on weekends and holidays to District students who are participating in approved School District programs which are under the supervision of professional staff members.


	G.	Homeless Students

		Students meeting the Federal definition of "homeless" will be transported from their temporary place of residence to their school of assignment, at the request of the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied minor, to the same extent as all other students of the District and consistent with Board Policy 8600. If the homeless student's temporary residence is located outside the boundaries of the District, the Liaison for Homeless Children will coordinate with the Director of Transportation to contact the District in which the student temporarily resides to arrange for joint transportation of the student and to seek inter-district agreement on a method for apportioning the cost of such joint transportation. In no event will a homeless student be denied enrollment based on issues related to student transportation.