Transportation

TRANSPORTATION SAFETY PLAN
Education Code Section 39831.3
 

Determine if pupils require escort pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision of section 22112 of the Vehicle Code.

The district shall identify school bus stops on route instructions where students may require escort, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) section 22112 of the Vehicle Code. At such school bus stops, the school bus driver shall determine which students require escort.

Procedures for all pupils to follow as they board and exit the appropriate school bus at their school or school bus stop.

1. Pupils shall follow the instructions of the school bus driver, who is in charge at all times.
2. Pupils shall board and exit the school bus only at bus stops designated by the school district superintendent or superintendent's designee.
3. Pupils shall not approach the school bus to board or leave their seats to exit until the school bus has come to a complete stop, the flashing red lights activated and front door has been opened.
4. Pupils shall board and exit the school bus in an orderly manner.
5. Pupils who require escort pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of section 22112 of the Vehicle Code shall:

• Wait for the school bus driver to exit the bus first.
• After exiting the school bus, cross the roadway only when the school bus driver tells them it is safe to do so.
• Walk straight across the roadway between the school bus driver and the front of the bus.
• After crossing, shall stay clear of the roadway.

6. Pupils who do not require escort pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of section 22112 of the Vehicle Code shall:

•  In an orderly manner, immediately leave the vicinity of the bus.
• Stay clear of the roadway.
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7. Pupils may only board and exit a school bus at their designated school bus stop. It is the District's policy to deny transportation for student's to/from a location other than their home. For example, students wishing to accompany a friend home for the purpose of an overnight stay or a group project or birthday party will not be allowed to ride the bus to that location.
8. Each student will possess a picture bus pass, which identifies them with their name, location of bus stop, route number, school of attendance and how long the pass is good for. They must have this bus pass in their possession when entering the bus. Students who do not ride the bus daily may purchase a punch card to ride the school bus when they need to.

State of California - Vehicle Code 22112
School Bus Signal and School Bus Stops
 

22112. (a) On approach to a school bus stop where pupils are loading or unloading from a school bus, the school bus driver shall activate an approved amber warning light system, if the school bus is so equipped, beginning 200 feet before the school bus stop. The school bus driver shall deactivate the amber warning light system after reaching the school bus stop. The school bus driver shall operate the flashing red light signal system and stop signal arm, as required on the school bus, at all times when the school bus is stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading pupils. The flashing red light signal system, amber warning lights system, and stop signal arm shall not be operated at any place where traffic is controlled by a traffic officer or at any location identified in subdivision (e) of this section. The school bus flashing red light system, amber warning lights system, and stop signal arm shall not be operated at any other time.

(b) The school bus driver shall stop to load or unload pupils only at a school bus stop designated for pupils by the school district superintendent or authorized by the superintendent.

(c) When a school bus is stopped on a highway or private road for the purpose of loading or unloading pupils, at a location where traffic is not controlled by a traffic officer, the driver shall, before opening the door, ensure that the flashing red light signal system and stop signal arm are activated, and that it is safe to enter or exit the school bus.

(d) When a school bus is stopped on a highway or private road for the purpose of loading or unloading pupils, at a location where traffic is not controlled by a traffic officer or official traffic control signal, the school bus driver shall do all of the following:

1. Escort all pupils in prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, who need to cross the highway or private road upon which the school bus is stopped. The driver shall use an approved hand-held "STOP" sign while escorting all pupils.

2. Require all pupils who need to cross the highway or private road upon which the school bus is stopped to walk in front of the bus as they cross.

3. Ensure that all pupils who need to cross the highway or private road upon which the school bus is stopped have crossed safely, and that all other pupils and pedestrians are a safe distance from the school bus before setting the school bus in motion.

(e) Except at a location where pupils are loading or unloading from a school bus and must cross a highway or private road upon which the school bus is stopped, the school bus driver may not activate the amber warning light system, the flashing red light signal system and stop signal arm at any of the following locations:

1. School bus loading zones on or adjacent to school grounds or during an activity trip, if the school bus is lawfully stopped or parked.

2. Where the school bus is disabled due to mechanical breakdown. The driver of a relief bus that arrives at the scene to transport pupils from the disabled school bus shall not activate the amber warning light system, the flashing red light system, and the stop signal turn.

3. Where a pupil requires physical assistance from the driver or authorized attendant to board or leave the school bus and providing the assistance extends the length of time the school bus is stopped beyond the time required to load or unload a pupil that does not require physical assistance.

4. Where the roadway surface on which the bus is stopped is partially or completely covered by snow or ice and requiring traffic to stop would pose a safety hazard as determined by the school bus motor carrier.

5. On a state highway with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or higher where the school bus is completely off the main traveled portion of the highway.

6. Any location determined by a school district, with the approval of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, to present a traffic or safety hazard.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) to (d), inclusive, the Department of the California Highway Patrol may require the activation of an approved flashing amber warning light system, if the school bus is so equipped, or the flashing red light signal system and stop signal arm, as required on the school bus, at any location where the department determines that the activation is necessary for the safety of school pupils loading or unloading from a school bus.

FOGGY DAY BUS SCHEDULE INFORMATION

According to the California Vehicle Code Section 34501.6, during home-to-school operations if roadway visibility drops to 200 feet or below, the bus routes will be delayed until the fog has lifted and it is safe for the School Bus Drivers to continue.

California Vehicle Code 34501.6. States;

The Governing board of a local education agency that provides for the Transportation of pupils shall adopt procedures that limit the operation of School buses when atmospheric conditions reduce visibility on the roadway to 200Ft or less during regular Home-to-School transportation service. Operational policies for school activity trips shall give school Bus Drivers discretionary authority to discontinue school bus operation if the driver determines that it is unsafe to continue operation because of reduced visibility.

ACTION 1 – It is recommended that all drivers check KFBK AM Radio 1530 for morning news and weather updates for the Roseville and Sacramento/Antelope areas.

ACTION 2 – It is recommended that all drivers check KCRA Channel 3 News in the morning for any reports on weather and fog.

ACTION 3 – If a driver determines that it is unsafe to continue, the driver shall remain at a “Safe Location” until they feel that the fog has cleared and they can continue. The driver shall immediately notify the Supervisor or Dispatcher.

ACTION 4 – The Supervisor or Dispatcher will immediately follow up to check on all students who may be at School Bus Stops and notify the Schools and parents of the delay. It is important that parents advise their students of what to do and where to go when the morning buses are cancelled or their student misses the bus.

Reduced Visibility may also be because of smoke, wind, rain and dust or other miscellaneous atmospheric conditions that could limit visibility less than 200 feet.

Modifications, cancellations and delays may also affect operation of Field Trips. Due to the nature of patchy fog some areas may experience fog and other areas may be clear.

The Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District transportation department covers CVC 34501.6 in our annual In-service at the beginning of the school year and a written notice to all drivers is provided with a signed acknowledgement.

 

A current copy of this plan shall be retained by each school and made available upon request to an officer of the California Highway Patrol.

DRY CREEK JT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPECIAL EDUCATION TRANSPORTATION HANDBOOK
 

To enable students' access to, and benefit from, educational instruction and related services, transportation may be provided for students enrolled in special education to and from home and school.

Transportation drivers are competent and specially trained to provide safe and courteous service that addresses the special needs of our students.

Collaboration and communication among parents, special education staff and transportation personnel are essential to maintaining you child's safety and well-being. Contained in this handbook are information, rules, and guidelines about transportation services. This information will assist with our ongoing communication.

SECTION I

Establishing Your Child's Transportation Service

Transportation services for Special Education students enrolled in special education are set up through the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District Office\Special Education Department. Parents need to contact the special education secretary to make transportation arrangements at 916-770-8860. Parents may not set up or change service directly with the driver.

All address or schedule changes must be arranged by the special education secretary as directed by the IEP Team. Please allow seven (7) days advance notice to ensure continuous transportation service. Services cannot be altered without prior notification.

In addition, should your child's medical or behavioral needs change, please call the special education secretary.

If you have a general question or concern regarding daily transportation, or if your child is absent, please contact the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District Transportation Office at (916) 770-8882.

Student transportation is provided as deemed necessary for students within the Dry Creek District boundaries. Transportation may be provided from the student's residence to the school or program, and from the school or program to the student's residence. Transportation will not be provided to locations outside the Dry Creek Jt. Elementary School District boundaries. If you have questions regarding whether or not a specific address is within the district’s boundaries, please contact the transportation office.

Emergency Information

Parents are responsible for completing the Specialized Transportation form (sample attached) and Student Emergency Card at the beginning of each school year and any time updates occur. The information on these forms is vital to your child's health and safety, and must be completed and kept current before transportation services can be provided. Failure to keep the information current may result in a loss of transportation privileges.

For your child's safety, a photograph of your child is required. The photo will be attached to the Specialize Transportation form that is carried on the bus. The photograph will also be inserted onto the student’s school bus pass.

Absences

If your child is going to be absent, please call the Transportation Office at (916) 770-8882 at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time; earlier if possible. If your child is going to be out multiple days, please provide the dates of absence and scheduled return date. Each time a student is absent, it is the parent/guardians responsibility to contact the District Transportation Office to restart your child's service.

Illness

Ill students will not be transported to school by the transportation department. Please do not send an even mildly ill child to school. Should your child become ill, or otherwise need to leave school before the regularly scheduled day concludes, you will be contacted to pick up or provide transportation for your child. If you are unavailable or unable to pick up your child, the emergency contact person(s) listed on the Specialized Transportation form and/or Student Emergency Card will be notified to pick up your child.

Hygiene

It is important for all students to maintain adequate standards of personal hygiene, promoting good health. This includes your child's personal items, such as backpacks, wheelchairs, restraints, lunch pails, etc.

Medication

All medication, including over-the-counter items must be in a sealed container and handed directly to the driver by the parent, teacher or teacher assistant, and not placed among the student's belongings.

Personal Property and Belongings

Please label all personal items with your child's name. The transportation department assumes no responsibility for lost items, but every effort will be made to locate such items and return them to their rightful owner.

Schedules

Pick-ups: Students need to be ready to be transported 10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. While waiting, they are to remain under the parent's supervision. Students able to meet the bus outside should stand back from the curb or edge of the road so that the bus can safely come to a stop without danger to the waiting students.

If your child is not at his/her pick-up location at the prescribed time, the driver will assume that he/she is not going to school that day and will leave.

Should the transportation department anticipate a significant delay on their part, they will attempt to notify the parents by phone, in a timely manner.

Drop-offs: Your child may exit the bus only at their assigned stop except in an emergency situation. Drivers may be early depending on students or traffic that day, so please be home at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled delivery time. You or another authorized adult is expected to be home to receive the student. The drivers are instructed to have you or this person in view prior to discharging your child from the bus.

Temporary or Emergency Schedule Changes: Such changes must be agreed upon with sufficient notice between the parents and transportation department officials.

If, on rare emergency occasions, you are unable to meet the bus, arrangements must be made for another adult to be at the home when your child arrives. That person must identify herself or himself as the person authorized to receive the pupil. This person must also be named on the Specialized Transportation form and/or Student Emergency Card. If no authorized person is at home to receive your child and no other arrangements have been agreed upon, he/she may be taken back to the school, the District office and/or law enforcement will be called to provide protective custody your child.

Fees: Students who cannot be delivered to their regular bus stop, due to the lack of a person to accept them, add time for the driver, extra miles on the vehicle, and non-budgeted costs. These additional costs shall be billed to the parent or guardian of the undeliverable student at the rate of: $20.00 (2nd - 4th time), $40.00 (5th - 9th time) per year. On the tenth (10th) occurrence, an IEP meeting will be initiated by the District to address this issue.

Inclement Weather

During period of inclement weather, some roads and private driveways become hazardous or impassable. As conditions are subject to rapid change, every effort will be made to notify parents of weather-related changes in routes and schedules. Also, parents or guardians may wish to listen to local radio or television (i.e., radio station KFBK 1530 AM or television stations KCRA-3, KXTV-10, or KVOR-13) for school closures or route information.

When possible, the transportation department will contact parents regarding route and schedule changes necessitated by weather, early dismissal, etc.

Specialized Equipment

Wheelchairs, Brakes and Restraining Belts:

It is the parents' responsibility to keep wheelchairs in good working condition, clean and sanitary. Wheelchairs MUST be properly equipped with well-maintained brakes which are able to keep the wheelchair from rollin; and a restraining harness and/or seat belts which are bolted to the chair. It is the parent's responsibility to provide a seat belt that meets the minimum safety requirements and shall not be the sole source of seat belt restraint. Velcro seat restraints do not meet minimum State requirements and shall not be the sole source of seat belt restraint.

Electric wheelchairs transported on school buses shall be capable of being locked in gear when placed in a school bus or shall have an independent braking system capable of holding the wheelchair in place. Restraining belts, harnesses and battery attachment on electric wheelchairs are also the owner's responsibility.

Any wheelchair that does not meet minimum safety standards, and/or any seat belt, restraining harness, or brakes that do not function properly, and/or any wheelchair that is considered unsafe or unsanitary by the transportation department will not be transported. Your child cannot be transported until you have rectified the safety malfunction.

Batteries - Electric Wheelchairs:

Batteries used to propel electric wheelchairs transported on school buses MUST be both leak-resistant and spill-resistant or be placed in a leak-resistant, spill-resistant container.

Batteries shall be secured to the wheelchair frame in such a manner as to prevent separation in the event of an accident (CA Administrative Code 1293).

Seat Belts, Harnesses, and Other Restraints:

Students on buses with seat belts, must wear them for safety purposes. If any child continually unfastens the restraint, the student will be issued a misconduct citation.

SECTION II

Student Transportation Conduct Rules

The health and safety of our students is the primary consideration when enforcing student transportation rules. Drivers need to pay attention to driving and traffic conditions for the safe transport of our students; having to attend to students' unsafe and disruptive behaviors may distract the driver and endanger lives. At all times students shall behave in a courteous and orderly manner, obey the rules, respect the rights and feelings of other students, passing motorists and pedestrians, and comply with the drivers' instructions to maintain order and safety in the vehicle.

The following sections of the California Administrative Code are cited as the basic policy regarding student responsibilities and conduct on school buses:

5 CA14103 - Authority of Driver
Pupils transported in a school bus shall be under the authority of and responsible directly to the driver of the bus, and the driver shall be held responsible for the orderly conduct of the pupils while they are on the bus or being escorted across a street or highway. Continued disorderly conduct or persistent refusal to submit to the authority of the driver shall be sufficient reason for a pupil to be denied transportation. The school district board of trustees shall adopt rules and regulations to enforce this provision.

Vandalism
Section 48904 - California Education Code
The parent or guardian having custody or control of any minor whose willful misconduct results in injury or death to any student, or any person employed by or performing volunteer services for a school district or who willingly cuts, defaces, or otherwise injures in any way any property, real or personal, belonging to a school district, shall be liable for all such damages so caused by the minor.

Section 1714.1 - California Civil Code
An act resulting in injury or death to another person or injury to the property of another shall be imputed to the parent or guardian having custody or control of the minors for all purposes of civil damages, and such parent or guardian having custody or control shall be jointly and severally liable with such minor for any damage resulting from such willful misconduct.

The following expectations are to be followed by students and enforced by drivers while being transported and/or waiting at school bus stops:

• Prohibited items include but are not limited to the following:

○ Firearms, knives, explosives, flammable devices, lighters, or other dangerous items;
○ Controlled substance, alcoholic beverage or other intoxicants in any form;
○ Drug paraphernalia;
○ Tobacco or tobacco-nicotine-containing products ○ All unsafe, disruptive, and discourteous actions, including harassment, threats, intimidation, physical violence or assault upon another are prohibited.

• Students shall keep all parts of the body and objects will be kept inside the bus.

• No animals, except guide dogs, signal or service dogs. In such cases, the driver may determine if the dog needs to be muzzled.

• Be seated as rapidly as possible after boarding a bus, remain seated at all times while the bus is in motion, share seats with others when directed by the driver, cross the street in front of the bus with the driver's supervision.

• Refrain from eating, chewing gum, or drinking beverages while on the bus.

• Obscene gestures, profanity, vulgarity, and loud noises are not permitted.

Consequences

Students that damage the school bus, or who repeatedly do not follow the expectations shall be reported to the principal or transportation supervisor, or designees, who shall take appropriate disciplinary action.

Misconduct Citations: Drivers may complete a Misconduct Citation form when expectations are not met.

• Citations will include details on the violations, reminders, and actions already taken regarding your child's misconduct.

• The driver retains the pink copy for transportation files and gives the canary copy to the parent.

• Parents are to return the canary copy to the driver.

• The driver then submits the white copy to the school principal and special education program administrator.

• The site administrator and transportation supervisor will take action as appropriate.

Suspension or denial of provided transportation:

Occasionally, students receiving special education services are suspended from transportation, (EC 48900- 48900.7; Grounds for Suspension).

If your child is excluded from transportation, he/she may be provided with an alternative form of transportation, so that FAPE can continue to be provided, at no cost to you, the parent or guardian, provided that transportation is specified in his/her IEP (E.C. 389515.5).