FILE:  ED

Cf:  EDCA

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board shall provide to eligible students school transportation services which shall meet the objectives of safety, efficiency, adequacy, and economy.  Through the use of publicly and privately owned buses, the School Board shall maintain a student transportation program that shall conform to or exceed minimum standards as set forth by pertinent statutes and the Louisiana Department of Education, as well as regulations established by the Supervisor of Transportation.  The transportation of school children, except in emergency situations, shall at all times be in a vehicle that meets school bus requirements.  It shall be unlawful for the School Board to permit the transport at one time a number of children on a school bus that exceeds the number of seats available on that bus.

All vehicles, owned by either the school district or contract bus operators, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  Contract bus operators who purchase their own insurance shall be required to annually submit to the Supervisor of Transportation proof of proper and valid insurance coverage prior to any usage of the bus.  Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the bus operator shall notify the Supervisor of Transportation immediately.

All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by operators, regular and substitute, possessing a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with proper endorsements, and having completed state-required pre-service certification training, in accordance with provisions outlined in Bulletin 119, Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.  All school bus operators, including contract bus operators, shall be required to personally operate the school bus assigned or owned, except in the case of illness or emergency.  In such cases, a substitute shall be assigned by the Supervisor of Transportation.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The use of any van (cargo or passenger) in any capacity for the purpose of transporting students to and from any school-related activity shall be prohibited.  However, the use of Multifunction School Activity Buses (MFSAB) is allowed for transporting students to activities.  Although classified as buses, they may not be used for transporting students between home and school bus stops.

INSPECTIONS

All buses used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned operator and the Supervisor of Transportation on a regular basis.  All school vehicles shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once during June, July or August and certified as safe prior to the beginning of the school session, and once during December, January, or February of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station.  Buses twenty (20) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students and undergo a random inspection during the fall (mid-semester).  This inspection shall be conducted by the Supervisor of Transportation.  In addition, immediately following a bus accident, the bus operator shall be required to have an extensive inspection of their bus to be paid by the School Board.

BUS PURCHASES

When a new bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, the requirements contained in the applicable laws and school district regulations shall be observed.  School buses used to transport students, including activity and backup buses, shall not be more than twenty-five (25) years old.  All replacement school buses, at the time they are acquired by the owner, shall be ten (10) or less model years old.  The number of years shall be reckoned from the date of introduction of the model year.  This shall apply to buses purchased by veteran owners/operators, by newly hired owners/ operators and by the School Board, individual schools, booster clubs, etc., for the purposes of transporting children to and from school and school-related activities and for use as spare buses.  All buses so purchased shall be required to satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage.  All newly appointed bus operators shall own their own bus, and that bus must meet all state and local rules and regulations.  The School Board shall defray one half (½) of the premium of school bus insurance coverage for privately owned buses.

CHARGES FOR USE OF BUSES

Charges for use of school owned buses shall be based on the mileage reimbursement formula used by the Department of Education.

TRANSPORTATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

Transportation of a student(s) in a vehicle other than a school bus shall be permitted in emergency situations.  The principal or other designated school official shall be authorized by the School Board to provide appropriate transportation of a student(s) in his/her own vehicle when deemed necessary.

Ref:     La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:158, 17:158.1, 17:158.2, 17:158.3, 17:158.4, 17:158.5, 17:158.6, 17:159, 17:159.1, 17:159.2, 17:160, 17:162, 17:163, 17:164, 17:165, 17:166, 32:293, 32:378

Olive Morgan v. Livingston Parish School Board, First Circuit Court of Appeals, March 1991

Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119, Louisiana Department of Education

Atty. Gen. Opinion #88-628

Board minutes 12-3-80, 10-17-90, 5-18-94, 4-19-95, 1-22-97, 10-15-97, 6-21-06, 12-20-23

West Baton Rouge Parish School Board