File: EEA - STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES File: EEA - STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICESThe major purpose of our transportation service is to aid students in getting to and from school in an efficient, safe, timely, and economical manner.
It is the intention of the Billerica School Committee to comply with the letter and spirit of Massachusetts General Laws with respect to the transportation of pupils.
Free bus transportation to and from school shall be provided by the District in accordance with the following:
a. Grades K-4: For any child living 1.0 miles or more from his/her school as calculated by the district's selected computer system
b. Grades 5-12: For any child living 1.5 miles or more from his/her school as calculated by the district's selected computer system
c. For any student whose individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 Accommodation Plan includes entitlement to school transportation by the District.
d. For any homeless student eligible for transportation by the District pursuant to the McKinney-Vento Act, 42 USCA Section 11432(g)(1)(J)(iii).
Eligibility
The District intends to use a computer generated route optimization software package (e.g., Transfinder) to calculate distances for eligibility. Distance will be measured by the shortest walking route over public ways (either streets or regularly passable public foot paths) between the nearest curb or driveway of the student's residence to the nearest identified ordinarily accessible entrance way of the school.
A map of transportation eligibility/ineligibility zones, by school, shall be published by the district on its website. Eligibility/ineligibility zones will be reviewed and may be subject to change on an annual basis due to changing conditions, but will be published by July 15 of any given year. This map shall include a description of the designated ordinarily accessible entrance ways.
Students who are eligible for transportation will be provided a bus eligibility pass for the child's school by August 15.
Eligibility Appeals
If a parent or guardian wishes to challenge transportation eligibility, they must first contact the Director of Finance and Operations. This initial request for eligibility may either be upheld or denied. Should the initial request for eligibility be denied, the parent or guardian may file a formal appeal. All formal appeals will be heard by a quorum of the Transportation Appeal Board.
The Transportation Appeal Board is comprised of three voting members:
• Assistant Superintendent or designee
• Billerica Safety Officer or designee
• A non-employee community member
Three individuals will be identified as non-employee community members for the Transportation Appeal Board, serving staggered three-year terms and appointed by the Superintendent. The three non-employee community members will share responsibility for participating in appeals, with only one voting member present for each appeal.
The Transportation Appeal Board is required to be held to a standard of confidentiality.
Appeals must be submitted in writing using the District Transportation Eligibility Appeal Form, found on the district's website. Appeals can only be submitted between the dates of July 15 and September 15, with the exception that the parent/guardian of a newly registered student has thirty (30) days from their child's first day of school to submit an appeal.
The Transportation Appeal Board will respond within five (5) business days from receipt of the form with a list of three (3) hearing dates and times that fall within fifteen (15) business days of receipt. The parent/guardian submitting the appeal must choose one (1) of these dates.
The appeal must be submitted with specific criteria for the appeal. The criteria must include at least one of the following:
• Miscalculation of distance
• Documentation of a safety hazard, as submitted by the complainant
• Roadways formally identified as areas of concern by the Billerica Traffic Management Committee
Any decisions made by the Transportation Appeal Board establish a precedent for that residence/school combination. Previously denied appeals will not be reconsidered by the Transportation Appeal Board barring significant changes to the public ways (streets or public foot paths) between the residence and school.
The Transportation Appeal Board will issue a decision within five (5) business days of an appeal hearing. In exceptional circumstances, the Board is granted an additional five (5) business days if roadway research is needed.
The appeal procedures set forth herein do not infringe upon the avenues of recourse otherwise available to students or parents/guardians under applicable law.
Bus Stops
All bus stops will be located where buses can safely reach and conduct loading. Bus stops will be established by the school department in consultation with the school bus contractor, and as necessary, the Billerica Police Department Safety Officer. School bus stops may be at centralized locations, and students are not entitled to individual street or door-to-door pickup and/or dropoff. The distance over the most direct public ways between an eligible student's residence and the nearest school bus stop shall not exceed 1.0 mile, in accordance with state law.
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure safe passage of his/her child to an established bus stop. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure the safety of his/her child at the established bus stop. The district's responsibility begins when the child boards the bus at the pickup location and ends when the child disembarks at the drop off location after school. The school department does not accept responsibility for the condition of streets and sidewalks, maintenance of traffic control signs, placement or maintenance of warning signs, or the enforcement of traffic laws, other than those on school property.
If a parent/guardian wishes to request a review of bus stop placement, such a request should be submitted in writing to the Director of Finance and Operations, who will conduct an initial assessment of the situation. This assessment will include, at a minimum, the following criteria:
• Direction of travel
• Traffic density and speed
• Visibility of bus signal devices from both directions
• How the child gets to the stop
• Specific hazards at the proposed stop
Should the parent/guardian wish to appeal the decision of the Director of Finance and Operations, they have the right to appeal in writing for the involvement of the Billerica Police Department Safety Officer, who will conduct a further evaluation of the request, including a visit to the site. All decisions on bus stops involving the Billerica Police Department will be final, and void of right of further appeal.
All K-4 students must have a parent, guardian, or other approved individual present at the bus stop in order for the student to be released from the bus. If no parent, guardian, or other approved individual is present, the student(s) will be returned to the school they attend for pick up. Year-long exceptions will only be valid with written consent from a parent/guardian, submitted to the principal of the child's school.
Behavioral Expectations:
In view of the fact that a bus is an extension of the classroom, the District expects that children will conduct themselves on a bus in a manner consistent with established standards for classroom behavior. The authority for enforcing this requirement rests with the Building Principal and/or Superintendent of Schools.
Updated September, 2019
LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 40:5; 7:7A, B and C; 71:37D; 71:48A; 71:68; 71:71A; 71B:4; 71B:5; 71B:8; 74:8A; 76:1; 76:12Bi; 76:14
CROSS REF: EEAEC - Student Conduct on School Buses