Policy No. 6600The district may provide transportation to and from school for a student: Whose residence is beyond the one mile radius from the school to which the student is assigned; Whose walking route to school is hazardous; Whose disability prevents him/her from walking or providing for his/her own welfare while walking; or Who has another compelling and legally sufficient reason to receive transportation services. The parent or guardian of a student whose assigned bus stop is beyond the maximum walking distance may receive reimbursement for private transportation at the state mileage reimbursement rate. Each year the superintendent shall present to the board the number of students who are transported who live within the minimum distance of their schools and for whom there appears sufficient justification for the district to provide transportation. In this report, the superintendent shall also provide the reasons why each of these students is transported. The district's transportation program shall comply in all ways with state law and regulation. Transportation services of the district may include approved bus routes, district-approved field trips, school activities (participants only) and extracurricular activities (rooters). Thesuperintendent is authorized to permit a parent of a student enrolled in school to ride a bus as a designated chaperone on a fieldtrip or other school related event. The board of directors may authorize children attending an approved private school to ride a school bus provided that the bus route and stops are not altered, space is available, and a fee to cover the per seat cost for such transportation is collected. ROUTES AND SCHEDULESThe superintendent shall be responsible for scheduling bus transportation, including the determination of routes and bus stops as well as overseeing the transportation program. The purpose of bus scheduling and routing is to achieve maximum service with a minimum fleet of buses insofar as this is consistent with rendering safe and reasonably equal service to all students entitled to such service. The board may authorize the use of a district-owned passenger car in lieu of a bus for transporting students to and from school. In order to operate the transportation system as safely and efficiently as possible, the following factors shall be considered in establishing bus routes:
Location of bus stops may be determined by such factors as student safety, economy and efficiency. Students may be required to walk up to one mile from their home to their bus stop provided that the walking route is safe. School schedules shall be adjusted to allow maximum utilization of each bus in the system by alternating elementary and secondary trips. The district shall apply for state transportation apportionment funds and shall maintain the records required to obtain such funding. EMERGENCY ROUTES AND SCHEDULESThe district shall develop emergency bus routes and schedules to be used when weather conditions make the usual routes impassable or, in the superintendent's judgment, too hazardous. At the beginning of the school year, copies of emergency routes and schedules shall be distributed to parents with instructions on how to obtain emergency information. If roads are closed to buses but not to private vehicles, the district may continue to operate the instructional programs of the schools without providing bus transportation until the roads are again open to buses. Legal References: RCW 28A.160 Student Transportation 28A.160.020 Authorization for private school students to ride buses — Conditions 28A.160.030 Authorizing individual transportation or other arrangements — WAC 392-141 Transportation —State allocation for operations 392-172-204 Transportation (Special Education) 392-172-035 Definitions of “free appropriate, public education,” “adult student,” “special education student,” “parent,” and “public agency” Adopted: May 27, 2008 Blaine School District |