BUSD approves revised transportation policies and procedures

The Bonsall Unified School District board approved a revision of the policies and procedures for the transportation of BUSD students on district buses.

The BUSD board voted 5-0, Jan. 11, to add language requiring students to have a current bus pass, which beginning with the 2018-2019 school year will be color-coded to match the color of the student’s route, to ride a district bus. The bus pass provides the driver with the knowledge that the district has the student’s correct and current parental contact information. No student will be allowed to ride the bus without a valid and current bus pass.

“We had a safety issue come up with a primary-age student earlier in the year,” BUSD Superintendent David Jones said.

No language existed on the expectations for students or staff with regard to dismissal from school.

“We put together a draft of what that procedure should look like when kids exit the building,” Jones said. “My goal was to make sure that we have expectations on what happens when kids leave.”

The five buses owned and operated by the school district and five specially equipped vans transport more than 300 students to and from school each school day, and the district also provides transportation to athletic and other extracurricular events throughout the year.

The additions to the policy cover dismissal procedures both for elementary schools and for middle school and high school students. All elementary school teachers, including substitutes, must have an updated list of students riding on buses. The district office staff is responsible for ensuring that each school has an updated list throughout the school year.

Each school must determine a consistent method to distribute updated lists to all teachers including substitutes. Teachers must walk students to the front of the school or site-designated areas, and bus riders must walk in the front of the line. Before dismissing students to the bus-pickup area, teachers must check that each rider has a current bus pass with a color-coded sticker.

If an elementary school student does not have a pass, the teacher or another staff member will escort the student to the school office and verify that the student is on the list to ride the bus, in which case the student will be given a pass from the office to ride the bus for that day and the school will contact the student’s parents to inform them that they must obtain a pass within 72 hours for the student to continue riding the bus.

Each bus driver must also verify that each student has a current bus pass with the correct color code before the student boarding the bus. The district office must ensure that each bus driver and the school office managers have a current copy of each student’s first and last name, and if a parent must be called, the bus driver will contact the school office manager who will contact the parent.

The route number and corresponding color will be placed in the front right side window of each bus, and the bus stop and school site location will be noted on each student’s bus pass beginning with the 2018-2019 school year. When a bus pass is issued, the route number will be entered into the database by district office staff.

Middle school and high school students must follow all elementary school procedures other than dismissal procedure modifications. Students must walk and wait for the bus at the site designated area and must wait until the bus comes to a full stop before walking to and entering the bus in an orderly, safe and respectful manner. The school must have reasonable supervision of students during dismissal and until buses are loaded and begin exiting school grounds.

The new items were added to the pickup time and place portion of the district’s transportation policy and procedures. The revisions retained the student conduct, discipline and suspension procedures, activity trips, damage liability, bus stop assignment and travel time sections.

The policy notes that all passengers either aboard a school bus or crossing the street after leaving the bus are accountable to and under the direct supervision and authority of the bus driver. The policy includes a statement that parents have been advised that the district does not supervise bus stops themselves, so parents are encouraged to supervise their children until they are safely aboard the school bus.

Parents are to provide the necessary supervision to ensure their child’s timely and safe arrival at the bus stops. The need for supervision in and of itself will not determine the location of the assigned stop. At the beginning of the school year, parents will be notified of their children’s pickup time and location, and parents will be informed of schedule changes throughout the year if any occur or if a bus ceases to operate.

Kindergarten students must be met at the bus stop by a parent, guardian or other responsible, designated person. If the kindergarten student is not met by a qualified person, the driver will return the student to school.

Buses will line up in the same order on a daily basis to the extent possible, although it is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are riding their assigned buses. If the student is unsure of their proper bus, the bus driver will provide route information.

Students on school buses shall be at the assigned bus stop five minutes before the bus’ scheduled arrival time, use only assigned buses and bus stops unless prior written permission from a parent and a school official have been given for a different stop to be used, follow the bus driver’s directions the first time they are given, remain properly seated at all times including in their assigned seats if applicable, speak to others in a normal tone of voice rather than yelling or making other loud distracting noises.

Students must keep the aisle clear of legs or feet and other objects, keep all parts of the body inside the bus and within their seats at all times, avoid profane or otherwise offensive language or gestures, be respectful to the driver and other passengers, not eat or drink on the bus, not throw objects in or out of the bus or otherwise litter, wear shoes and a shirt while on the bus, not wear hats or caps so that headwear does not impair the driver’s ability to identify any individual, behave in an orderly manner at the bus stop, board and exit the bus in a safe manner and cross the street if permitted and as directed by the driver.

Students are to refrain from fighting on the bus, not bring animals of any kind onto school buses other than specified exemptions such as service animals, not damage or vandalize the bus or other school district property, not tamper with any mechanism or control of the bus, provide proper identification to the driver or other school district officials upon request, refrain from other unsafe or unauthorized activities, not possess or operate a laser of any kind, use all electronic devices in accordance with the school district’s internet use agreement and contract, refrain from smoking or vaping and from lighting matches on the bus, not bring glass containers on the bus and not bring potentially hazardous objects on the bus.

The bus driver has the discretion to determine what item is or is not hazardous, so sporting goods such as baseball bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and skates may or may not be considered hazardous depending on the type of trip. Also considered potentially hazardous are firearms and ammunition, compressed air guns, flare guns and flares, gunpowder, gun parts, replicas of firearms, starter pistols, box cutters, disposable razors and safety razors with blades, ice axes and ice picks, knives, meat cleavers, razor-type blades, swords and sabers, scissors, axes and hatchets, cattle prods, drills and drill bits, hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, billy clubs, brass knuckles, nightsticks, nunchucks, stun guns and shocking devices, throwing stars, pepper spray and explodable or flammable items including spillable batteries.

Violations of policies and procedures will result in a referral. The first referral for a July 1 through June 30 school year will result in an oral and written warning to the student and parent. A second referral suspends the student from riding a school bus for one day. A third referral carries a three-day suspension which may be for a longer period if all three referrals are for the same violation. A fourth referral would result in a five-day suspension, a fifth referral carries a 10-day suspension and the sixth referral denies the student bus transportation for the rest of the school year.

Gross misconduct such as defiance of the bus driver, possessing potentially hazardous objects, smoking or vaping on the bus, lighting matches, vandalizing or destroying school district property or threatening or causing bodily harm will result in a minimum 10-day suspension with the suspension period possibly lasting through the end of the school year.

Policies regarding athletic or other activity trips include that students shall not board unless the driver and certificated staff or chaperons are present, that certificated staff shall ride the buses to and from the destination, that applications of personal grooming products including hair sprays and deodorants is prohibited on buses, that students or staff shall not wear cleats onboard, that passengers shall not dress or undress on the bus, that a musical instrument being transported must be in its case and safely held by the student on their lap, that musical instruments do not block aisles or exits or are not left unattended on a seat or floor, that throwing athletic or other equipment is prohibited and that students shall return on the bus with their group unless they have a note from a parent or guardian also signed by a school official providing them permission to return by other means.

A student’s parents or guardian will be required to reimburse the district for the repair costs of damage caused by acts of vandalism.

School bus drivers are prohibited by California law from delivering students to a location other than the designated stop, so a driver cannot honor such a request by a student. If a parent or guardian wishes to reassign the student to a different route or stop a request to the district’s transportation department can be made, but that department’s administration will make the final decision.

Under no circumstances will a bus driver pick up or drop off any student at a location the driver deems to be unsafe. District transportation department staff will determine the safety of bus stops based on legal and policy criteria.