Policy 6600

The district may provide transportation to and from school for a student:

1. Whose residence is beyond the one mile radius from the school to which the student is assigned;
2. Whose walking route to school is hazardous;
3. Whose disability prevents him/her from walking or providing for his/her own welfare while walking; or
4. Who has another compelling and legally sufficient reason to receive transportation services.

Each year the superintendent will have available the number of students who live within the minimum distance of their schools and for whom there appears sufficient justification for the district to provide transportation. The superintendent will provide this information to the board upon request with the reasoning behind the decisions.

The district’s transportation program will comply in all ways with state law and regulation. Transportation services of the district may include approved bus routes, district-approved field trips, school activities (participants only) and extracurricular activities (rooters).

Routes and Schedules

The superintendent will work closely with the director of KWRL co-op in scheduling bus transportation, including the determination of routes and bus stops as well as overseeing the transportation program.

The purpose of bus scheduling and routing is to achieve maximum service with a minimum fleet of buses insofar as this is consistent with rendering safe and reasonably equal service to all students entitled to such service.

In order to operate the transportation system as safely and efficiently as possible, the following factors will be considered in establishing bus routes:

1. Where an alternate route may be considered without sacrifice of efficiency or economy, preference will be given to that route more directly serving the largest number of students;
2. Location of bus stops may be determined by such factors as student safety, economy and efficiency. Students may be required to walk up to one mile from their home to their bus stop provided that the walking route is safe; and
3. School schedules will be adjusted to allow maximum utilization of each bus in the system by alternating elementary and secondary trips if necessary.

The district will apply for state transportation apportionment funds through the KWRL cooperative who shall maintain the records required to obtain such funding.

Emergency Routes and Schedules

The district shall develop emergency bus routes and schedules to be used when weather conditions make the usual routes impassable or, in the superintendent’s judgment, too hazardous. At the beginning of the school year, copies of emergency routes and schedules will be distributed to parents with instructions on how to obtain emergency information.

If roads are closed to buses but not to private vehicles, the district may continue to operate the instructional programs of the schools without providing bus transportation until the roads are again open to buses.

1. Emergency snow route bus stops shall be established for parents, guardians or approved guardians to drop off and receive students at safe locations as determined by the superintendent. All students must be received by a parent or guardian at all snow route bus stops unless the district determines that the student can walk to a home with a safe walking route in the immediate proximity of the emergency snow bus stop.
2. If parents or guardians cannot safely travel to an emergency snow route bus stop to drop or receive their student, the parent or guardian may request an approved absence for their students with their respective school.

 

Legal References:	RCW 28A.160.020 Authorization for private school students to ride buses — Conditions
	RCW 28A.160.030 Authorizing individual transportation or other arrangements
	Chapter 392-141 WAC Transportation — State allocation for operations
	Chapter 392-172A-02095 WAC Transportation (Special Education)

La Center School District  Adopted: April 26, 2017