Transportation

If your student will not be riding the bus on a particular day, please contact your route driver directly. Many routes get delayed if a driver is waiting for a student. If a driver is on time to your stop, they will wait no longer than one minute after the scheduled time. If your child misses the bus because they are late, it is your responsibility to find other transportation to school that day.

Please check with the Transportation Department before making these arrangements to see if there would be room. Buses may be full due to shuttle needs. If there is room, a bus pass would be issued at that time.

The non-busing area is at a distance of one mile for grades K-7, and two miles for grades 8-12, from the student's residence. These guidelines are set by the Dept. of Education. The Transportation Director determines the shortest or most direct route without hazards.

Our goal is to consistently identify bus stops in neighborhoods on the basis of safety, efficiency, and distance between stops. Generally, bus stops are located at an intersection in order for the driver to have a wide area to scan for traffic and students, to create efficient routes, and to minimize buses backing up.

• Drivers do not have the authority to change routes or student pick-up/drop-off locations.
• Bus stops are placed that meet defined criteria, are centrally located, and within reasonable walking distances from a student’s home.
• We are not able to locate all stops within the line of sight of each home or daycare.

We try to establish routes so that a student is not on any longer than one hour and twenty minutes one way, excluding time on a shuttle between buildings.

The higher frequency of stops makes other drivers impatient. This may result in drivers driving around the bus and causes greater safety concerns than the distance a student has to walk to the stop. It also delays the bus by increasing the number of stops, making the ride time longer.

We are not able to position all stops so that parents are able to see them from their home.

In order to be consistent and fair in placement of stops, the district is not able to establish stops based on personal circumstances.

• Be Early: Arrange for your students to be at their stop five minutes before the scheduled pick-up time.
• Supervision: Monitor children while at the stop.
• Consistency: Be aware the bus will pick up and drop off students at the same stop every day school is in session.
• Safety Rules: Review the bus safety rules with your children.
• Support Younger Riders: Accompany younger children to the stop and meet the bus at the end of the day, for the first days of school, or arrange for an older child or child care provider to be at the stop.
• Schedule Fluctuations: Pick-up and drop-off times are based on favorable weather and road conditions. Traffic, road construction, inclement weather and population changes may cause minor adjustments in pick-up and drop-off times. Parents will be notified of any major changes in bus schedules that affect their child.

Winter weather can be challenging for students due to extreme cold temperatures and snowy conditions. Students should dress appropriately for the cold weather. They should still be at the stops on time.

However, buses may be late due to weather and/or road conditions. In those cases, students are not expected to wait more than 15 minutes for the bus to arrive. If possible, parents should drive their children to school if their bus is more than 15 minutes late. We will do our best to keep you informed of any long occurring delays that may arise.

Students should wait for the bus several feet further back from the road in a safe place, as roads may be slippery.

Personal use of cell phones and other personal devices are allowed as long as the user wears earbuds/headphones, and keeps the volume at a reasonable level. Loud conversations, music and other noises associated with personal devices can be a distraction for the driver and therefore a safety issue. Also, students leaving their seats to view posts or videos on another student’s device creates a hazard for all students. If the student uses the device in a distracting manner, they will be asked to put it away. If the
behavior continues, the driver may confiscate the device for the duration of the student’s ride.

Food and drinks will not be allowed on the bus starting with the 2026-2027 school year. If they bring a lunch to school, it needs to be kept in their backpack, or unopened while on the bus. Water bottles are allowed, but must contain only water.