File: EEA-R - POLICY FOR STUDENT TRANSPORTATIONGENERAL GUIDELINES
File: EEA-R - POLICY FOR STUDENT TRANSPORTATIONPrimary Objectives
Nothing in the general or specific guidelines shall be interpreted to interfere with the implementation of a transportation policy that results in school buses arriving safely at their assigned schools on time to support pickup and delivery operations.
The transportation policy shall not contain any elements that require or encourage a school bus driver to exceed posted speed limits in order to achieve on-time performance.
Bus Regulations, Rules & Discipline
The school department will establish, maintain and utilize a policy that contains school bus regulations, rules of behavior and defined disciplinary actions that are assigned multiple and specific levels of behaviors and disciplinary actions to be administered by school administrators. The policy will include elements that address requirements for rider safety, respect for the rights and safety of others, response to 'bullying' behaviors and possession of dangerous objects or materials. Incidents or behaviors defined by the most serious level will result in temporary suspension or permanent denial of transportation service.
Transportation Eligibility
As described in the following paragraphs, transportation is currently provided at no cost to eligible students attending Kindergarten through grade twelve. Eligible distances are measured along the most commonly traveled route to the school they attend. For purposes of eligibility verification, the most commonly traveled route is deemed the shortest route over a public way.
Transportation will be provided between home and school within the school district. Transportation may also be provided between school and day care providers located within the attendance area of the school.
Students attending a charter school or private school will be afforded transportation to the extent required by law [Ref: M.G.L. Chapter 7 6 Section 1 and M.G.L. Chapter 7 1 Section 89 (ff); see Attorney General v. School Committee of Essex (1982)].
Kindergarten
Provide regular education transportation to all Kindergarten students for mid-day transportation (drop-off of students from AM Kindergarten and pickup of students for PM Kindergarten). Pick up and drop off locations will be made at the student's home or as close to his/her residence as is practical, but not more than 0.25 miles from the residence.
If a student lives within a development, a single stop may be placed to serve multiple residences. If a student resides in close proximity to a corner stop at which service is provided, the student may be assigned to the corner stop. Other stops will be placed within 0.25 miles of the residence.
Morning pickup and afternoon drop-off transportation for kindergarten students will follow the same guidelines for students in Grades 1-5 outlined in the "Elementary" section below.
Elementary
Provide regular education transportation to Elementary students in grades 1-5 who live one mile or more from their assigned school. However, if the walk-to-school is considered hazardous as determined by the school district, then an appropriate stop will be scheduled.
Provide neighborhood school service within the parameters of the general guidelines.
Place stops at corners on primary and secondary streets wherever possible. Other stops will be placed not more than 1.0 miles of the residence.
Middle School
Provide regular education transportation to Middle School students in grades 6-8 who live greater than 1.5 miles from their assigned school. However, if the walk-to-school is considered hazardous as determined by the school district, then an appropriate stop will be scheduled.
Provide neighborhood school service within the parameters of the general guidelines.
Place stops at corners on primary and secondary streets wherever possible. Other stops will be placed not more than 1.0 miles of the residence.
High School
Provide regular education transportation to High School students in grades 9-12 who live greater than 1.5 miles from the high school. However, if the walk-to-school is considered hazardous as determined by the school district, then an appropriate stop will be scheduled.
Provide district-wide service within the parameters of the general guidelines.
Place stops at corners on primary and secondary streets wherever possible. To the best extent possible stops will be placed not more than 1.0 miles of the residence.
Transportation for Homeless Students
Pursuant to federal law, the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless children who are attending the school assigned to them by the local school district are entitled to the same school transportation that is offered to other children in that district. If homeless children are attending school in their attendance zone of origin and this is different from their attendance zone of temporary residence, the local school district is urged to transport them to/from their school of attendance; these transportation costs are reimbursable under the regular schedule of reimbursement from the state of Massachusetts.
Homeless children with special needs who wish to continue to attend their original school (even though they are living in another zone or district) and have transportation written into their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), must be transported from their temporary residence to their school of origin until the end of the school year.
In cases where a child is living in one school district and wishes to continue in his/her school of origin, which is in a different district, the school district providing the child's educational program shall make every effort to transport the child to/from school.
If a district has made a good-faith effort to provide this inter-district transportation and is still not able to meet the child's transportation needs, the ultimate responsibility for getting the child to/from school lies with the child's parents.
Bus Routes
Streets or sections of streets may be designated as 'no travel' streets. No bus route will be established that utilizes 'no travel' streets to include cul-de-sacs, unaccepted streets and private ways.
Wherever possible, students will not be required to ride more than 45 minutes each way on a bus traveling between home and school. The Assistant School Business Administrator, the person who is responsible for the management of our transportation (hereinafter referred to as the Transportation Director) will maintain a log of exceptions and the supporting rationale when a < ' student must ride more than 45 minutes.
Bus Stops
All bus stops will be located where buses can safely reach and conduct loading or unloading operations. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to assess the particular risks and to provide guidance to their student that ensures his/her safe conveyance to and from the assigned stop. The school department does not accept responsibility for the condition of streets and sidewalks, maintenance of traffic control signals, placement or maintenance of warning signs or the enforcement of traffic laws.
A. Primary Streets:
There are several streets within the town that may not meet the criteria set forth within this policy for Walk Zones, and/or Bus Stop Locations. In the interest of safety the Transportation Director may determine that these streets will have stops placed at either the house or at an intersection deemed to be safe, after being reviewed by the Transportation Director and the Billerica Police Department. In such cases, the stop may be at a distance less than that which has been established by the general guidelines contained in this policy. Those streets would include but not limited to: Boston Road, Concord Road, Nashua Road, Salem Road and Andover Road.
B. Stop Locations
Stops will be located so that the shortest path over a public way between residence and bus stop is not greater than the distance stated by specific walk-to-stop guidelines, if all of the other general guidelines are met. For example, a student living on a 'cul-de-sac' that is greater in length than the walk-to-stop policy distance, will be assigned to a stop that is more distant than the general guidelines define. The Transportation Director will maintain a log of students with a stop assignment that exceeds the applicable guideline distance.
Stops will be located, so that students will not be required to cross a primary street in order to reach a bus stop. Corresponding pickup and delivery stops may be in different locations for the same student or group of students.
C. 'No Stop Zones
Streets or sections of streets may be designated as 'no stop' zones. A bus may not pick up or deliver students in a 'no stop' zone. For example, a 'no stop' zone will exist where it is not possible for motorists to see the active signal devices on the bus in time to come to a stop without hitting the bus or children who might be boarding the bus or crossing the street in front of the bus.
When the school department has declined to place a stop in a particular location because of safety concerns, and a written request to review that decision is received by the Transportation Director, the Transportation Director and Billerica Police Department will visit the site together, evaluate the conditions, and come to a joint decision on suitability. The evaluation 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
All decisions by the Billerica Police Department will be final, and void of right of appeal. The school department will abandon all stops in a 'no stop zone' at the time of the decision and thereafter place no new stops in that zone.
Transportation for Involuntary Student Transfers
Input regarding the impact on transportation must be obtained from the Transportation Director, prior to a principal making a decision on a request for an involuntary transfer of a student from the school the student's respective neighborhood is assigned to another school within the geographic boundaries of the town. Transportation will not be provided unless there is a pre-existing bus route to the receiving school.
Whenever possible, reassignment of students should be accomplished with students who can walk to their receiving school. If a fee for bus transportation program is in effect, students not eligible for transportation to the receiving school may subscribe to paid busing only if there is a pre-existing bus route to the receiving school.
Transportation for Voluntary Student Transfers
Parents must provide transportation when they voluntarily transfer their student out of their neighborhood school to another school within the geographic boundaries of the town.
• The Transportation Director may agree to provide free transportation if the student lives more than two miles from the receiving school, and on condition that no impact on transportation would result. Consideration may also be giving to the option of the parent driving the student to the closest bus stop to the receiving school.
• If a fee for bus transportation program is in effect, the Transportation Director may agree to permit participation in the paid busing program if the student lives more than one half mile and two miles or less from the receiving school, and on condition that no impact on transportation would result. Consideration may also be giving to the option of the parent driving the student to the closest bus stop to the receiving school.
• Service will be withdrawn in either case, if there is subsequent impact on transportation. SOURCE: Billerica
Repealed June 10, 2019