8600 - TRANSPORTATION

Constantine Public School District

Administrative Guidelines

8600 - TRANSPORTATION

The following guidelines are established to implement Board policy on transportation.

	A.	Administrative Responsibilities
		The transportation director is responsible for the planning, operating, and maintenance of all District vehicles. Included within this scope of responsibility are:

		1.	establishment of bus routes;
		2.	management of dispatching operations;
		3.	supervision of vehicle maintenance programs;
		4.	selection, supervision, and training of transportation personnel;
		5.	preparation of transportation budgets and State/Federal reports, in conjunction with the financial secretary.

S/He shall also cooperate closely with each principal, who is responsible for:

		1.	supervision at bus loading and unloading zones;
		2.	communication to parents and students concerning student behavior, safety, schedules, and the like;
		3.	adjudication of all behavior problems;
		4.	enforcement of traffic regulations on the school site;
		5.	notification of overcrowding and unsafe conditions on a bus and unsafe or ineffective practices.

Bus Conduct

		1.	Parents are to be informed that school bus transportation is a privilege and not a right and that the bus driver is the sole authority on the bus while students are being transported.
		2.	Parents are also to be informed that they are responsible for:

			a.	the safety of their child while going to or from the bus stop and while waiting for the school bus;
			b.	their child being at the bus stop at least three (3) minutes prior to scheduled pick-up time;
			c.	damage to school buses, personal property, or public property.

		3.	Students are expected to conduct themselves in a proper manner at bus stops. The District will not enter into disputes involving parents and/or students concerning matters that take place prior to the student boarding the school bus, or after the student has disembarked from the bus on his/her way home.
		4.	A change in a student's regular assigned bus stop may be granted for a special need, if a note from a parent is submitted to the building principal stating the reason for the request and the duration of the change and the principal approves.
		5.	A permanent transfer to another route or bus stop for morning pick-up and/or afternoon drop-off will only be made upon the approval of the transportation director.
		6.	Students shall cross all streets at least ten (10) feet in front of the school bus and after the driver has signaled the student that it is all right to do so.
		7.	For the safe operation of the school bus, noise on buses shall be kept at a minimum with students speaking in reasonable conversation voices. Students must be quiet at railroad crossings and other danger zones as designated by the bus driver.

			a.	Students are not allowed to play their own radios or tape recorders.
			b.	Both the use of a bus radio and the station or programs which students listen to must be approved by the transportation director.

		8.	Students shall remain seated while the school bus is in motion and keep all parts of their bodies inside the bus.
		9.	Students shall not throw items inside of the bus or out of bus windows and should not hold anything so that it extends out of the bus window.
		10.	Students should not tamper with or open a school bus emergency door unless directed to do so by the driver.
		11.	Eating or littering is not permitted on a school bus and use of tobacco is strictly prohibited.
		12.	Students should not use abusive or profane language on the bus.
		13.	The following cargo is forbidden to be transported on a school bus: pets, alcoholic beverages, drugs, ammunition, explosives, firearms, knives, or any other dangerous materials or objects. If there is a question on the transportation of a particular item, the transportation director should be consulted.

	C.	Student Surveillance
		In accord with Board policy, the Transportation Director may install the appropriate equipment for video-taping the interior of the buses while transporting students. S/He should follow the District's purchasing practices (AG 6320) in obtaining such equipment and abide by the following guidelines for the use of such equipment:

		1.	Arrange for the installation of a box in a location on each bus that will allow for the camera to record all students.
		2.	Develop a plan whereby the camera(s) is installed in the box on a rotating basis and so students are not aware of the installation.
		3.	Record the date, time, and bus number of each video tape and maintain the tapes in a secure location for a period not to exceed the school year.
		4.	Establish a procedure whereby no one observes a tape without the prior authorization of the Transportation Director who shall ensure that any observation is done only by those who are authorized to view student records and is conducted in accord with AG 8330 - Student Records.
			Any disciplinary action resulting from the use of the video tapes shall be determined by the appropriate principal who shall ensure that due process is provided to the students involved, in accordance with Board policy and administrative guidelines relating to discipline. Any use of photographs obtained through the use of video tapes shall be in accordance with Federal and State law.

The Transportation Director shall be responsible for reviewing the tapes for the purpose of assuring that bus safety procedures are being followed properly and the buses are being operated in accord with District guidelines and State law.

	D.	Special Services
		In compliance with Board policy, the transportation services may be provided for field trips, co-curricular trips, and extra-curricular trips, including athletics.
		Transportation may be provided on weekends and holidays to District students who are participating in approved School District programs which are under the supervision of professional staff members.

Revised 6/93