West Bridgewater School Committee West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Policy Manual WBSC No.
6500
Pages
4 Referenced Material M.G.L., c. 71, s.48a
Transportation SECTION
SUBJECT
PAGE
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX Attachment A Attachment B Attachment C
Mission Statement Purpose Walkers Student Use of Automobiles Busing Rules Grades K-12 Appeal Process Distribution Applicability Eligible Street List Eligible Letter and Form “Pay & Ride” Letter and Form
2 2 2 2 3 5 6 6 6 A B C
This Policy has been approved by the West Bridgewater School Committee on September 20, 2010.
WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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I
Mission Statement: The Mission of the West Bridgewater Public Schools is to work together with home and community to provide our students a safe environment in which to acquire the knowledge, skills and values needed for success in a diverse and global society of the 21st Century.
II
Purpose: To ensure a safe and systematic means of transportation. Parents are responsible for the safety of their child on the way to and from school.
III
IV
Walkers: 1.
The school system will cooperate with any established service or automobile club with a well-conceived program for pedestrian and/or bicycle safety for students.
2.
The principal and teachers of each school, in a manner appropriate to the age group, shall provide a pedestrian and bicycle safety program for all students.
3.
Under provisions of the law, a school safety program can be organized to encourage pupils to cross highways at designated crossings when conditions are safe, to assist drivers of school buses to maintain safety rules, and to protect pupils who are boarding and leaving school buses. School committee members and school personnel are protected from any liability which might arise from the maintenance or operation of a safety patrol providing it functions according to provisions of the law. (M.G.L. c.71,s.48a)
4.
The Chief of Police has the authority to authorize the installation of flashing signs in the immediate vicinity of any school if he feels these are necessary for safety purposes. The Superintendent is responsible for contacting the Chief of Police if he feels there is a given location where consideration should be given to the installation of flashing lights.
Students Use of Automobiles: All students driving cars to school MUST fill out a registration form in the high school office. Student parking spaces are available at the rear of the building, in the large parking lot, WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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facing Howard Street. Maximum speed in all school parking lots and driveways is 5 M.P.H. The permit to drive to school may be revoked is the student violates the school's driving and parking regulations. V
Busing: The School Committee hereby establishes the following guidelines for the transportation of students. 1.
List of students for September should be in the hands of the contractor by July 15th.
2.
All routes, bus stops, time schedules and mileage shall be determined by the Contractor under the direction of the Superintendent or Designee. Bus Routes are established by the school bus contractor and are based upon the addresses of the students registered at the time. In computing the distance for transportation eligibility, the front door of the school to the front curb of the student’s dwelling and the most direct route used by the school bus shall be used by the district. Modifications to the bus assignments, routes and bus stops may change from year to year based on enrollment. Information regarding bus stop locations, bus numbers, and approximate pick up and drop off times will be posted on the district’s web site and in the Brockton Enterprise approximately one week prior to the start of each school year. The school district may make modifications to bus assignments, routes and bus stops during the course of the year. These changes are made to improve efficiency or enhance safety. Parents and students will be notified in advance of the change start date.
3.
Drivers will report all cases of student misbehavior on buses and will handle all disciplinary matters in strict accordance with district policy. Drivers will submit bus discipline forms to the building administrator when necessary and in a timely manner. Nothing herein shall prevent a driver from speaking to a student about an action that might cause harm to the driver or any other person.
4.
The School Committee reserves the right to change the number of buses each year.
5.
The Superintendent of Schools will have complete authority over the Contractor and drivers in the matters pertaining to school transportation, except where specifically limited by the terms of the contract. All drivers are required to be C.O.R.I.’d.
6.
In the designation and selection of routes, operations shall be limited to roads, streets and highways that are owned and maintained by the state or town. It is the WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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expectation of the district that as students advance in grade level they will be expected to walk greater distances to group stops designated by the transportation company. A student is expected to walk to and from a bus stop if he/she lives on a dead end road or cul-de-sac where turning a bus without backing up would be difficult. 7.
Kindergarten students will be picked up as close to home as possible. Students in grades 1-3 who live more than one and one-half (1 ½) miles from the Rose L. MacDonald School will be bused. Students in grades 4-6 who live more than one and one-half (1 ½) miles from the Howard School will be bused. Students in grades 7-12 who live more than one and one-half (1 ½) miles from the High School will be bused. All other students will walk. A list of eligible streets will be posted on the district website and will be available in each school office.
8.
A parent/guardian must be at the bus stop for all kindergarten students. Kindergarteners will not be dropped off otherwise and will be returned to the Rose L. MacDonald School. If your child is returned to the school more than three (3) times, your child will no longer be able to ride the bus.
9.
Should a parent indicate that a student’s schedule necessitates change(s) during the school year, the building principal, in consultation with the Superintendent shall have the authority to approve or deny this change in the schedule. Requests that may cause complications in transportation assignments and thus create problems for the safe transportation of a student will be denied.
10.
The Superintendent and School Safety Officer, in consultation with the bus company will have the final authority on the safety of the bus routes and stops.
11.
Pay and Ride (reside within the mile and half of the school) students may apply for fee-based bus transportation on a space available basis. Seat availability will be determined only after the existing bus routes have been in service for approximately two weeks after the start of the school year. Only those students living DIRECTLY ON AN EXISITING BUS ROUTE within the stated limits will be eligible. When more than one request shall be made for a given empty seat or seats, preference shall be given to the younger student. A waiting list will be maintained by the Superintendent’s Office. The students will be required to walk to the nearest bus stop on the existing route.
12.
Mid-August, Bus passes will be mailed home for students that have completed a transportation request form. Bus passes will be needed to ride the bus.
WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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VI
Rules K-12: The right of a Student to transportation to and from school and on other occasions is a qualified right dependent on good behavior. Court decisions consistently uphold the exclusion of students from a school bus when their misbehavior affects the safety of students or the driver. It is expected that all students will comply with the following in the interest of safety: 1. Respect the property of other people and their right to pass on the sidewalk. Act appropriately while waiting for the bus. 2.
OBEY the bus driver at all times.
3.
Be waiting and visible at the bus stop within 5 minutes prior to the scheduled bus arrival time.
4.
Wait until the school bus is completely stopped and the door is opened before approaching the bus.
5.
Remain in the seat until the destination is reached. Students must remain quiet.
6.
Proceed on the bus in single file. Do not push or shove.
7.
Refrain from opening windows unless the driver gives permission.
8.
Do not lean out an open window.
9.
Walk in front of the bus when crossing the street.
10.
The driver of the bus is the authority, unless there is a teacher present.
11.
No throwing anything within the bus or from the windows of the bus.
12.
No smoking on the bus.
13.
Keep the inside of the bus clean. No vandalism or destructive activities will be tolerated.
14.
Refrain from pushing, striking or shoving on the bus.
15.
Report any acts of vandalism, profane or abusive language and misbehavior of any kind to school authorities.
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VII
16.
Students in Grades K-12 not observing rules may be refused permission to ride on the school bus. In cases of extreme emergency, students in Grades 7-12 may be immediately put off the bus.
17.
Unacceptable behavior, distracting the driver or endangering the safety of the other students and driver will cause the loss of the privilege to ride on the bus.
18.
Any violation of these rules, the student may be denied permission to ride the bus.
Appeal Process: 1.
Letter to the Contractor - stating concerns.
2.
The Contractor will review the concerns. He/she may consult Bus Co, Safety Officer or additional input. The Transportation will respond to the parent/guardian in writing with in 10 school days.
3.
If not satisfied with the decision of the Contractor, it may be appealed to the Superintendent in writing. The Superintendent will respond within ten school days.
4.
If still not satisfied, a written request to be placed on the School Committee agenda must be submitted to the Superintendent. Correspondence must be received by the Wednesday prior to the scheduled meeting.
VIII Distribution: A copy of the rules will be placed in the student handbook. There will be a parental signoff sheet. IX
Applicability: This policy will be annually reviewed and re-adopted every three years in October. The attachment of eligible streets may be altered due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. new streets, safety issues) by the Superintendent. Please remove and replace the listed Policy with the attached copy, which was approved by the School Committee. Effective immediately, the policy with attachments with the above date will be the School Committee policy, all prior documents identified as WBSC 6500 will be destroyed. WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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This policy WBSC 6500 has been adopted by the School Committee on ______.
WBSC 6500 September 20, 2010
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