STUDENT TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM
The purposes of the transportation program are to transport students to and from school, to transport them for extracurricular activities, to transport them on field trips, and to transport those requiring special services. Transportation shall be provided at district expense to those students who are eligible as authorized by New York State Education Law and the Board of Education. Transportation is provided to district students in accordance with established distance guidelines, including those attending nonpublic or charter schools. Non-resident students must provide their own transportation. The goal of the student transportation program is to provide efficient, effective and safe service.
School bus schedules are provided through the student portal prior to the beginning of school each year. Any changes made during the school year will also be communicated directly to the parent.
The Superintendent of Schools is charged with establishing Administrative Regulations to accompany this policy and to facilitate its implementation.
Establishment of Bus Stops and Walking Distance To/From
Bus stops are assigned to students based on the proximity of their residence to a location that is safe to walk to and to congregate to wait for the bus while maintaining the efficiency of the overall route. It is not possible for the district to route buses and locate stops according to the sight lines from individual student residences, which means that students are expected to travel up to a a certain distance to bus stops, depending on their school grade level. These distances are:
Elementary – 1/10th of a mile from home to bus stop;
Middle school – 2/10th of a mile
High school – 3/10th of a mile
Any exceptions to these guidelines are at the discretion of the Director of Transportation.
The district has designated certain Safety Zones, in which stops may be more frequent than in other zones or where students may not cross the street for a stop. Safety Zone changes are at the discretion of the Director of Transportation.
Parents/guardians are responsible for the safety of their students to and from the bus stop. Buses will not stop for pick-up or drop-off except at the assigned stops.
Bus Stop Change Requests
The Superintendent of Schools is charged with establishing a process by which parents/guardians can request a change of bus stop. This process will include a Bus Stop Review Committee and a Bus Stop Change Request Form. The committee will include representation from the District Administration, the Transportation Department and community/parents. All Bus Stop Change Requests will be considered by the Bus Stop Review Committee. Decisions will be communicated in writing. Transportation Regulations will outline the Bus Stop Review Process and a procedure for the appeal of committee decisions.
Transportation to and from Nonpublic Schools
Transportation to nonpublic schools within a 15-mile radius is available to district students. However, parental or guardian requests for district resident transportation to and from private schools must, be submitted no later than April 1 of the preceding school year for which the transportation is requested. For new residents, requests must be made within 30 days of establishing residency within the District. Requests received after this date shall be approved when there is a reasonable explanation for the delay and when there is the capacity to provide the transportation requested within the existing system of bus routes.
The District is not required to provide transportation to non-public schools on days when the District is not in session. However, the District is obligated to share its calendar with the non-public school in order to raise awareness of the dates when transportation is not available.
Transportation of Students with Disabilities
Student Information
Any mode of transportation used on a regular basis to transport students with a disability on a regularly scheduled route shall, upon written consent of the parent or person in parental relation, have maintained on such mode of transportation the following information about each student being transported:
- Student’s name;
- Nature of the student’s disability;
- Name of the student’s parent, guardian or person in a position of loco parentis (person in parental relation) and one or more telephone numbers where such person can be reached in an emergency; and/or
- Name and telephone number of any other person designated by such parent, guardian or person in a position of loco parentis as a person who can be contacted in an emergency.
Such information shall be used solely for the purpose of contacting such student’s parent or person in loco parentis in the event of an emergency involving the student, and shall be kept in a manner which retains the privacy of the student. This information shall be accessible to no other persons than the driver or an employee acting in a supervisory capacity, or in the event of these individuals being incapacitated, such information may be accessed by any emergency service provider for such purpose.
This information shall be updated as needed, but at least once each school year and shall be destroyed if parental consent is revoked, the student no longer attends such school, or the disability no longer exists.
Herein the term “disability” shall mean a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of the student, whether of a temporary or permanent nature.
Transportation for Nonpublic School Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities in the District shall be transported up to fifty (50) miles (one way) from their home to the appropriate special service or program. If the Commissioner certifies that there is no appropriate nonresidential special service or program within that distance, the Commissioner may then establish transportation arrangements.
Transportation for Nonpublic School Students with Disabilities (Parentally Placed)
For students with disabilities (ages 5 through 21) who are parentally placed in nonpublic schools outside their district of residency, the school district of residence is responsible to provide transportation to those nonpublic school students from the student’s home to the nonpublic school. However, if special \education services are to be provided to a student at a site other than the nonpublic school, the school district of location is responsible for providing the special education services, including, as applicable, arranging and providing transportation necessary for the student to receive special education services.
Transportation to Childcare Locations
The District will provide transportation to students in Grades K-8 between before/after child care locations and school, but only for children attending public or nonpublic schools located within the district boundaries. Transportation will be provided to licensed daycare centers (pursuant to §390 of the Social Services Law) within the school district boundaries, while transportation to non-licensed childcare locations, such as in-home care and relatives, may only be provided within the attendance zone of the student’s school. Child day care, as defined in § 390 of the Social Service law, shall not refer to care provided in: a day camp, as defined in the state sanitary code, or an after-school program operated for the purpose of religious education, sports, or recreation.
Administrative regulations for this policy will outline the process by which transportation to childcare locations will be requested, including an annual deadline for parents/guardians to make these requests to the school district. It is understood that late requests, and those submitted throughout the school year, may take a period of time to be reviewed and put into place.
Transportation Within the Same School Zone Based on Joint Custody
The District is required to provide transportation only to the student’s primary residence, from which the student is registered in district schools. In the case of joint parental custody, where both parents live within the same school zone of attendance, transportation may be provided to either/both homes. However, the schedule must be the same throughout the school year. Transportation will not be provided to one of the two parent/guardian residences if their address is outside the school zone of attendance, unless there is an established route from the school to the school zone of that residence. All special transportation arrangements are contingent on the availability of seats on the school bus, with strong preference given to the use of an established stop for the route(s) involved.
Other Transportation
Personal cars of teachers and staff shall not be used to transport students except in the event of extenuating circumstances and authorized by the administration.
Education Law Sections 1604, 1709, 1804, 1903, 1950, 2503, 2554, 2590-e, 3242, 3602-c, 3621(15), 3623-a(2c), 3635, 4401-a, 4401(4), 4402, 4404, 4405, and 4410-6
Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375(20)(1) and 375(21-i)
New York State Social Services Law Section 390
NOTE: Refer also to Policy #7131 — Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Adopted December 12, 2023