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Transportation
Transportation Procedure
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| | The Transportation department is charged with providing fee-based home-to-school transportation services for eligiblestudents residing within Chico Unified School District boundaries. Transportation services may be provided via school District vehicles, contracted services, and/or volunteer services.
The safety of students and staff is a primary goal of the District, therefore, all school buses will comply with applicable laws, regulations and inspection requirements. All school bus drivers will meet both state and school district standards to qualify as bus drivers. Those students transported in a school bus will be under the authority of and responsible to the driver of the bus. All students will conduct themselves in a cooperative manner. Any student who does not conduct herself/himself appropriately will be subject to disciplinary action.
The District operates transportation services as safely, efficiently and economically as possible. | |
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| | SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURES
The safe transportation of students and staff is a primary goal of the school district. This "School Bus Transportation Procedure" is intended to promote safe, efficient and cost effective transportation services.
Road Standards for School Buses
Bus routes will generally be limited to properly maintained, paved roads with no dead ends. A bus route may include limited travel distrances on a gravel road(s) if the gravel road is properly maintained. All roads to be traveled by school buses must provide the driver with good visibility and be sufficiently wide for two vehicles to pass safely.
Bus Stop Standards
The number, location and modification of school bus stops will be determined by District staff. Major criteria to be used by the staff to select bus stops are as follows: - safety, convenience, efficiency, cost effectiveness;
- impact of bus stops on neighborhood;
- located on regularly traveled roads whenever possible;
- .25 mile minimum distance between bus stops;
- 200 feet minimum visibility for approaching traffic (the California Highway Patrol will be consulted on any exceptions);
- all bus stops must conform to California Code of Regulations Title 13, Section 1238, School Bus Stops.
Student Travel Time
Staff will attempt to limit student riding time to less than one hour on the morning home-to-school bus route and less than one hour on the afternoon school-to-home bus route.
Student Training for Emergency Evacuation
Consistent with existing State law, the principal/designee and District transportation staff will provide annual bus evacuation training for students. The students may either participate
directly or observe an evacuation demonstration by other students.
Student Behavior
Students will be provided with a safe, friendly and positive environment on the school bus. While the students are being escorted across a roadway, loading/unloading the bus or riding
on the bus, those students will be under the authority of and directly responsible to the bus driver. Each student is expected to treat other students in a respectful and cooperative manner. Any student who does not conduct herself/himself appropriately is potentially jeopardizing the safety and well being of other students on the bus, and that student will be subject to disciplinary action.
Student discipline will range from a verbal reprimand in less severe cases to suspension of transportation privileges in more severe cases. If a student does not observe the District's
"Rules Governing Behavior on School Buses," the offending student will be issued a written citation as follows:
First Citation - The first citation during the school year may be a written notice of inappropriate behavior, or, for a very serious infraction, the student's transportation privileges may be suspended by the Transportation Foreman for a period of time.
Second Citation - The second citation during the school year may be a written notice of
inappropriate behavior; a short suspension of transportation privileges; or, for a very serious
infraction, the student's transportation privileges may be suspended by the Transportation Foreman for a lengthy period of time.
Third Citation - The third citation during the school year may be a written notice of inappropriate behavior, but will usually result in a suspension of the student's transportation privileges for a lengthy period of time.
Fourth Citation - The fourth citation during the school year will result in the automatic
suspension of the student's transportation privileges for the remainder of the school year unless the "automatic suspension" is modified by the Transportation Foreman due to extraordinary circumstances. Parents will be requested to meet with a member(s) of the transportation staff and, when appropriate, a member(s) of the school staff regarding a suspension of the student's transportation privileges. During the conference, the parent will be informed of the offending student's behavior and the seriousness of the offense. The parents will be encouraged to help the student understand the serious nature of her/his behavior.
Bus Driver Authority and Responsibility
The bus driver is responsible for the safe and orderly conduct of students when they are being escorted across a roadway, loading/ unloading the bus and while riding on the bus. When students are to be escorted across a roadway, the driver will first ensure that it is safe to cross the roadway; then the driver will escort all students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 across the roadway. When being escorted across a roadway, students will be directed to cross in front of the bus, between the bus and the driver. The driver will make certain that all students
have safely crossed the roadway before moving the bus. The bus driver need not escort students across a roadway when pedestrian traffic is controlled by a traffic signal. Bus drivers shall have the authority to discontinue the operation of school buses whenever the bus driver determines that it is unsafe to continue. To help ensure the safety and well being of each student, the bus driver will not require a student to leave the bus while in route between home and school or any other destination. Also, the bus driver will not make a bus stop when fog reduces visibility to less than 200 feet in the immediate area of the bus stop.
Drivers shall activate the flashing amber light warning system, if the bus is so equipped beginning 200 feet before any bus stop where students are loading or unloading. They shall operate the flashing red signal lights and stop signal arm at all times when the bus is stopped to load or unload students. The flashing amber warning lights, flashing red signal lights and stop signal arm shall not be operated at any other time, or at any place where traffic
is controlled by a traffic officer.
The use of amber lights, red lights, and stop signal arms will not be required when loading or unloading special education students who are confined to wheelchairs or who are escorted to or from the school bus by a parent, their designee, or by a school official or who may require assistance to load or unload the school bus. The flashing red signal lights and stop signal arm requirements shall not apply to locations identified by the Superintendent or designee, in consultation with the California Highway Patrol, as presenting a unique traffic hazard due to roadway design or proximity to an intersection. When the bus is stopped on a highway or private road to load or unload students, and traffic is not controlled by a traffic officer or official traffic control signal, the driver shall:
- Check for approaching traffic in all directions and activate the flashing red light signal system and, if the bus is so equipped, the stop signal arm.
- Before opening the door, ensure that the flashing red signal lights and stop signal arm are activated and that it is safe to exit the bus.
- Escort all students who need to cross the highway or private road, using an approved hand-held STOP sign while so doing.
- Require all students to walk in front of the bus as they cross the road or highway.
- Ensure that all students who need to cross the road or highway have crossed safely and that all other unloaded students and pedestrians are a safe distance from the bus before setting the bus in motion.
The bus driver will make verbal or written reports to the Transportation Foreman under the following circumstances: - recurring and/or serious student misbehavior.
- parent and/or student complaints regarding transportation services.
- any traffic violation involving the driver's bus.
- any accident involving a student or District vehicle.
- repeated late school dismissals which cause transportation delays. The driver will also report such late school dismissals to the school principal.
- any incident of a bus overload.
- mechanical or other problems with buses and equipment.
Student Transportation Fees
The annual home-to-school transportation fee schedule for all students (K-12) who ride the bus either to or from school and/or to and from school will be reviewed annually and a fee schedule established for the year. Each family must pay for up to two riders per family, but any additional riders from the family will be transported free. Transportation fees for students who ride the school bus once in the morning or once in the afternoon will be one half the rate paid by other students. Fees for less than a full year will be prorated by staff based on the proportional part of the year that transportation of the student is approved by the District.
A booklet of bus tickets may be purchased for the occasional bus rider who may wish to ride the bus on a spaceavailable basis.
Parents desiring home-to-school transportation services must apply for the service and receive District approval before their child(ren) will be allowed to ride the school bus; however, exceptions may be made by staff at the beginning of the school year and in emergency situations. Parents who pay a transportation fee and received District approval for their child to ride a school bus will be advised that they must pay any subsequent transportation fee(s) in a timely manner to retain their transportation service. Parents will also be advised that if
transportation fees are not paid in a timely manner and transportation services are revoked, the parent assumes full responsibility for the welfare and transport of her/his child. For this
transportation policy, an indigent family is defined as one family with a monthly income less than:
Family Size Monthly Income
1 $686.00
2 $1,125.00
3 $1,395.00
4 $1,658.00
5 $1,854.00
6 $2,124.00
7 $2,333.00
8 $2,542.00
9 $2,757.00
10 or more $2,993.00
Staff is authorized, consistent with existing laws, to confirm the family's income as reported by parents on the District application for transportation services.
RECOMMENDED: General Administrative Council - (10/99) 06/00
APPROVED: Superintendent - (10/99) 06/00
Chico Unified School District
1163 East Seventh Street, Chico, CA 95928-5999
(530) 891-3000
Administrative
Procedure:
#3710.1
Section: Business
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