Transportation

The most important factors while transporting students to and from school and school sponsored activities is the students’ safety and well-being. With this in mind, the following transportation disciplinary provisions shall be followed as pertaining to bus transportation.

This policy is designed to gain support and cooperation of parents or guardians to correct inappropriate conduct of students who are utilizing the bus transportation system. Parents should review and discuss school bus rules with their students to help them understand and assume responsibility for appropriate conduct.

Riding a school bus is not an undeniable right; it is a privilege. To assure students safe transportation, the District requires students to engage in appropriate conduct, to respect school personnel and to respect other students. A student is to behave appropriately when waiting at a bus stop, loading onto a bus, riding a bus, unloading from a bus and when departing from a bus stop. Failure to abide by school rules, show proper respect to others and comply with the requests of school personnel may result in a student being issued a School Bus Incident Report and possible suspension of bus riding privileges.

RULES

Listed below are some specific rules which can guide students toward good conduct. These rules are intended to help students become aware of their responsibilities and guide discussion. This is not an all-inclusive list, but it is representative of the types of behavior that is expected.

1. Students are to be held to the same standard of conduct as is expected in the school and in the classroom;

2. Articles of an injurious or objectionable nature shall not be allowed on a school bus. This includes any bulky item which might obstruct the aisle or be flammable in nature. Live animals shall not be permitted on the bus;

3. Students are expected to be courteous. Profane language or gestures are prohibited;

4. Students shall not leave their seats on the bus until the bus is fully stopped;

5. Students shall remain seated facing forward at all times when the bus is in motion;

6. Students shall not open or close windows without bus driver permission;

7. Students shall keep their person and all personal objects inside the bus;

8. Fighting, pushing, tripping or scuffling types of behavior shall be prohibited on the bus and at bus stops;

9. Students shall comply with all requests made by the bus driver that are necessary to control the behavior of the students and maintain order and safety on the school bus;

10. Loud and disruptive noise shall not be permitted on the bus;

11. Behavior relating to the safety, wellbeing and respect for self and others shall be followed;

12. Students shall not tamper with school bus equipment;

13. Eating, drinking, smoking, vaping, lighting matches, spitting, littering, use of tobacco, and possession of illegal or look-alike substances are prohibited;

14. Gang, sexual or racially motivated activities, actions or comments shall be prohibited;

15. Destruction and/or defacing school bus equipment or property is prohibited, and the student's parent/legal guardian shall be responsible for restitution;

16. The driver shall have the authority to assign seats to any and/or all students;

17. Electronic communication devices including but not limited to cell phones, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, laptops, beepers, pagers or other electronic devices must be set on silent so that no audible sound is emitted. Student use of cameras, video recording, audio recording, phone conversations, or passing or sharing any type of electronic device is strictly prohibited. The bus driver has full discretion to limit the use of all devices in any situation where the use of a device could cause danger or disruption, or if the student has exhibited behavior of not following rules or expectations.

Each bus student will be assigned a bus and a bus route based on their primary address in Infinite Campus. All students are expected to ride their assigned bus. Students are not to leave or board the bus at locations other than the assigned home stop or assigned school without prior written permission of the parent and building principal. Changes in bus assignments will not be allowed except with the approval of the Coordinator of Pupil Transportation.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees students with disabilities their right to a free and appropriate public education, which may include transportation if it is part of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). However, students receiving special education are not immune from school disciplinary processes, nor are they entitled to remain in a particular education setting when their behavior substantially impairs the education or safety of other children. With this in mind, the following transportation disciplinary provisions shall be followed as pertaining to bus transportation.

If Transportation is not Identified as a Related Service on the Student’s IEP:

Students attending school with an Individualized Education Program and utilizing the busing system to where transportation is not listed as a related service to their program are expected to follow the bus rules and are subject to the same disciplinary actions as all other students. If bus transportation is not on the IEP, a suspension from the bus would not be counted as suspension from school. In these cases, the student and parent would have the same obligation to get to and from school as a student without a disability who had been suspended from the bus. The disciplinary process is outlined in Board Policy 8212, which stipulates that transportation is a privilege, not an undeniable right. Students who violate the bus rules are required to attend a conference with the Transportation Coordinator to review the bus rules and the expectations regarding student conduct on the bus, and to work toward a solution to correct inappropriate behavior. If the student continues to violate the bus rules and/or jeopardizes his/her own or another student’s safety, additional disciplinary action may result in the suspension of the student’s riding privileges for five to 90 school days depending on the severity of the infraction.

A copy of each bus incident ticket is forwarded by the Transportation Department to the student’s attending school. Bus tickets should be reviewed by the student’s case manager/special education teacher to determine if a reasonable behavior intervention plan could be coordinated through the Transportation Department to help correct inappropriate behavior and keep the student from being suspended from the bus. If a student’s behavior continues and results in a suspension from the bus, the IEP team must determine whether the behavior on the bus is similar to behavior in the classroom that is addressed in the IEP. If the behavior is not similar, the IEP team should consider modifying the existing behavioral intervention plan or develop a new plan for the bus behavior.

If Transportation is identified as a Related Service on the Student’s IEP:

Students with an Individualized Education Program, where transportation is a related service under their plan, may be suspended from the bus for disciplinary reasons up to 10 days per year in conjunction with school suspensions. If a student’s behavior in the bus results in a suspension from the bus, the IEP team must determine whether the behavior on the bus is similar to behavior in the classroom that is addressed in the IEP. If the behavior is not similar, the IEP team should consider developing a behavioral intervention plan for the bus behavior.

Prior to suspending a student from the bus, the Transportation Department should work with the student’s school and the Special Services Teacher Consultant to explore modifications in an existing behavior plan or develop a behavior plan to correct the student’s behavior. This approach should be used whenever possible to reduce the need for suspensions. Bus suspensions should be used only for more serious incidents or as the final discipline steps of a behavior plan.

Nothing within this written procedure should discourage the district from using the judicial system to help prevent harm to the student or others. Regardless of the student’s educational status, if at any time the district believes a student’s behavior is likely to result in injury to the student or others, a court order may be sought to remove the student from the bus.