The following procedures will be followed in the Kewaunee. School District if a storm develops: 1. Weather forecasts and
KEWAUNEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORT SERVICES POLICY 751
Approved: Revised: Revised: Revised: Revised: Revised: Revised:
08/14/98 03/20/00 11/14/05 11/13/06 05/17/10 04/25/11 07/29/13
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES The school district shall provide transportation for pupils, residing within the school district boundaries, under provisions of Wisconsin laws and regulations and as set forth in this transportation policy. Section I - General Organization Flow of Authority The responsibility for the daily operation, enforcement, and administration of the pupil transportation shall be delegated from the Board of Education, through the Superintendent of Schools, to the Bus Contractors. The Bus Contractor will assure that vehicles and drivers used in transporting pupils follow the rules and regulations adopted by the Federal Government, the Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Department, and the School Board, and that such vehicles are well maintained. The responsibility for the safety of students before they board the bus for school and after they are discharged from the bus on the return trip rests with the parents or guardian. Section II - General Operations A.
Who may be transported 1. All students living two miles or more from the public school they are attending will be transported. The two mile distance is measured from door-to-door by the usually traveled route. 2. Students living less than two miles from the school they are required to attend will be transported if they are subjected to an "unusual hazard" area while walking to school. a. "An unusual hazard" exists for those students who are required to walk to school on a town road, county, state, and federal highway where there are no sidewalks and the speed limit is in excess of 25 miles per hour and is determined to be a hazardous area by the Sheriff's Office. b. When an "unusual hazard" has been determined to exist, a plan will be developed by the Superintendent and approved by the Board of Education. The approved plan will be submitted to the Department of Public Instruction and a copy will be attached to this Transportation Policy. 3. Home-schooled students will be transported if they meet criteria per Policy JECG. 4. Open enrolled students may be transported if the times they need to be in school or delivered home, aligns with the regular transportation times and bus routes.
5. Students who are eligible to be transported may be transported at parental request to a drop off point different than their permanent residence under the following circumstances: a. If parents provide a minimum of three business days’ notice to the bus company, students may be picked up and/or dropped off at an alternative location. If the drop off point aligns with the regular transportation time or bus route there will be no cost. b. If the drop off point extends the mileage or time of the route, the parent may request service at the fee established by the Board of Education. Under no circumstances will students be dropped off at locations outside of the established district boundary lines. c. Parents requesting an alternative pick up or drop off location must do so in writing three business days in advance on the district form. Notes and phone call requests will not be accepted. 6. Students who are not eligible for free district transportation may be transported at parental request under the following circumstances: a. Parents must provide a minimum of three business days’ notice to the bus company; Requests must be made in writing on the district form. b. Parents must prepay the fee established by the Board of Education. c. Parents requesting an alternative pick up or drop off location must do so in writing three business days in advance on the district form. Notes and phone calls will not be accepted. d. Alternative pick up and drop off locations must align with regular transportation times and bus routes. e. Transportation will be on a “space available” basis. If a bus route is full, parents may be notified that the district will not offer paid transportation. Parents will be notified 14 days in advance if the district has to drop transportation service to them. B.
Routes and Schedules 1. All school bus routes and schedules will be approved by the Board of Education. Parents will be notified by the bus contractor prior to the start of the school year if there are major changes to the route from the prior year. Routes will be posted throughout the school year as follows: a.
In school buses to which they pertain.
b.
In each school serviced by bus transportation.
c.
In the office of the Superintendent of Schools.
d.
In the office of the contractor.
2. Parents must provide the school office with a three business day notice before any permanent change in pick-up point location. 3. Should permanent changes in routes or scheduling become necessary during the school year, parents or students affected will be notified before the change is placed into effect. 4. 4K routes will be established by the second Friday in August. Only if new students move in to the district or in emergency situations will changes be made to the 4K route once it is established. 5.
Specific Guidelines
a. Students shall not ride on a bus longer than one hour under normal circumstances. Loading and unloading of the bus is not considered to be riding time.
b. Schedules should be established which will cause the pupils to be picked up at a set time and arrive at school before the start of the first class. c. Insofar as practicable, school buses shall not turn around on public highways or private property. Section III - The Bus Rider A.
Pick-up and Discharge of Riders Students may be required to board the bus at a point which may require some walking. The general guidelines that will be followed will be: door-todoor, where possible, for Kindergarten students; 1/4 mile for students in grades 1-12. Safety and economies of operation will help to dictate all pick-up and drop-off points. There shall be no guarantee that students will be picked up at their own driveways. At school, students will be picked up and discharged at a point not requiring the crossing of any street between the bus and school. 1. AM Pick-ups. Students are expected to be on time at designated stops. The bus will come to a full stop, but will not wait if students are not on their way to the bus. If a student is not riding the AM bus for some reason, please call the bus contractor (920-388-2545 Erichsen; 920-388-2777 Dworak) and let them know so that they can inform the bus driver not to stop. If a student or family is chronically late to the bus, the driver may file a conduct report for appropriate action by the school. When loading the school bus, stay on the shoulder of the road, and wait for the bus driver's signal before crossing. Students should always stay at least 10 feet in front of the bus at all times when crossing the road. 2. PM Drop-offs. When unloading, if the students have to cross the road, they should walk down the shoulder of the road until they are at least ten feet in front of the bus, turn left and look for the bus driver's signal before crossing the road. Students are not to check mailboxes when leaving the bus. 3. Bus Loading Zones. In bus loading zones, students are to wait behind the line until the driver gives them the signal to load the bus. If there is no line, the students should wait at least 10 feet away from where the bus stops. 4. Extra Riders, (Friends coming home on the buses). Most bus routes have full loads. To ensure there is room for extra riders, students requesting to bring a friend(s) home, must receive a permission slip from the school office and present it to the bus driver at least three business days in advance. 5. Extra-curricular Trips. Any student making an extra-curricular trip must return on the same bus unless written authorization has been approved by school officials. B.
Bus Rules Following is a list of rules and guidelines for riding school buses. Parents are expected to support the School District and the bus driver in maintaining the discipline that is necessary to insure safety on the school bus at all times.
1. Respect the driver, s/he has the authority to assign seats and enforce bus safety. 2.
Face forward, remain seated and keep aisles clear at all times.
3. bus.
Keep your head, hands and belongings to yourself and inside the
4. Keep noise to a minimum using an inside voice and school appropriate language. 5.
Respect your peers, the bus, and others property.
6.
Keep the bus clean.
7. Be responsible. allowed on the bus.
The bus is a food free zone.
Any item that is not permitted in school is not
*Failure to comply with the above rules may result in the loss of bus riding privileges. Section IV - Discipline Procedures A. To handle any misbehavior as outlined in Section III “The Bus Rider,” the following procedures will be followed: 1. As much as possible, minor incidents of misconduct will be handled directly between the driver and the student. In cases where the student does not respond to the driver’s discipline, the driver will report the misconduct to the contractor and complete an incident report form. Copies of the incident report will be distributed as follows: 1-copy for Driver 1-copy for the student to be brought home for parent/guardian signature. The signed report will be returned to the Driver. 1-copy for the building principal where the child is a student 2. Once the school principal receives the incident report form, the principal may follow up with an investigation of the incident. If it appears that the student committed the offense, administration will use their best judgment in determining the most appropriate consequence. The following progressive consequences will be used when in the principal’s judgment, consequences are needed for a behavior. a. The first incident: the principal or superintendent will inform the parent or guardian of the offense either by telephone or by sending home a copy of the referral. He or she will also discuss the incident with the student and apply a consequence deemed as appropriate for a student of that age. b. The second incident: the principal or superintendent will inform the parent or guardian of the offense either by telephone or by sending home a copy of the referral. He or she will also discuss the incident with the student and apply the consequence deemed as appropriate from 1-5 school days of suspension from the bus. c. The third incident: the principal or superintendent will inform the parent or guardian of the offense either by
telephone or by sending home a copy of the referral. He or she will also discuss the incident with the student and apply the consequence deemed appropriate from a minimum of 5 school days of suspension from the bus. d. The fourth incident: the principal or superintendent will inform the parent or guardian of the offense either by telephone or by sending home a copy of the referral. He or she will also discuss the incident with the student and apply the consequence deemed appropriate from a minimum of 45 school days of suspension from the bus. This could be up to and including a full school year of suspension from the bus or permanent expulsion from riding the school bus. Any further incidences will result in suspensions at least double that of the time before. e. Other: Once a student in grade 6-12 has reached the level of a suspension from riding the bus, even if it is only one day, the student will always be suspended from riding from the bus for a period of school days, as a consequence for an incident. B. Under special circumstances, the discipline will not be progressive and can result in suspension from riding on the bus for a period of time or permanently. C. Parents or guardians and students need to be aware that in any of the above consequences, Due Process, is available to them. D. No pupil shall be put off the school bus except at school or at their home. The driver may not put student off their bus at school as a disciplinary measure, unless authorized by the principal. Section V - Special Transportation Trips A.
General Policies
1. All requests for special trips must be submitted to and received by the bus contractor at least two days before the trip is to begin. The only exception to this shall be for student buses for athletic events. The school office shall inform the contractor by 1:00 p.m. on the day of the game as to the number of buses needed for that game. All requests for special trips will be accepted on a first come basis in case of too many requests. 2. The building principals or athletic director must approve all requests for special transportation prior to the time that the bus contractor is notified. B.
Extra-Curricular Trips
1. Buses will begin extracurricular trips only when a professional employee of the Kewaunee School District or an individual named by the Superintendent is present on the bus in addition to the driver. 2. Standards of conduct on extracurricular trips shall be the responsibility of the employee or designated person supervising the trip. Section VI - The Vehicle A. The vehicle shall meet the requirements of the State Department of Public Instruction and of the Motor Vehicle Department.
Section VII - The School Bus Driver A. The school bus driver shall meet the requirements for school bus drivers as set forth by the Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Department and pass a background check. B. The safety and health of the bus riders shall be the first consideration of the bus driver at all times. In addition to the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Department, the bus driver shall:
C.
1.
Remain with the bus until all students have been discharged.
2.
Allow only authorized personnel to ride the bus.
The bus driver shall:
1. Be interested in understanding children, and shall be an example of dignified personal behavior; 2.
Exhibit personal cleanliness;
3.
Adhere to the sexual harassment policy of the District;
4. Not make any sexually harassing comments, or comments with sexual or violent content to any student; 5. Not have any inappropriate contact with, or conduct themselves in a violent or sexual manner with students; 6. Have no arrests or convictions of a crime which substantially relate to the position of school bus driver; 7. Not use or be under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances (illegal drugs) while working; and 8. Not use, sell, distribute, or manufacture controlled substances or other illegal drugs. D. The bus driver shall be responsible for maintaining order among the students when they are being transported between their homes and the schools. 1.
The driver shall: a.
Stop the bus to discipline riders.
b. Report any persistent disciplinary cases to the bus contractor for proper disposition. 2.
The driver shall not: a.
Administer corporal punishment to the students on the bus.
b.
Put a student off the bus to walk home nor to walk to
c.
Refuse an authorized student rider to board the bus.
school.
d. Be required to notify a student that he/she is not authorized to ride the bus. It will be the responsibility of the administration to notify the student and parents.
Section VIII - Bus Company Administration A. Maintain an extensive bus driver applicant screening process to include the following: 1.
Driving record check.
2.
Physical examination.
3.
Personal interview.
B.
Provide driver pre-service and in-service training programs.
C.
Provide each driver with the School District's Transportation Policy.
D. Insure that each driver understands and follows the safety procedures and rules of the company, School District, and State of Wisconsin. E.
Provide each driver with the proper route sheets with pupils' names.
F.
Maintain an extensive equipment preventive maintenance program.
G. Carry Public Liability Insurance, Property Damage Insurance, and Passenger Medical Insurance equal to or in excess of the Wisconsin Statutes requirements. H.
Communicate with school authorities on pupil safety violations.
I. Provide route sheets, pupils' names, and drivers' routes and names to the Superintendent of Schools. J. In the event of a bus delay, breakdown, or accident, immediately notify the Schools. In the event of an accident, the Superintendent of Schools will also be notified. K. Continue to cooperate with the school officials in maintaining a safe, adequate, efficient, and economical transportation service. L. School District may charge and provide transportation for students who are unauthorized to ride provided there is a seat for every authorized student. M. The bus contractor shall have a system of communication on each bus during use that allows for two-way communication. This is for the safety and well-being of the students. The communication system may be a radio system to the bus company office that is manned while the buses are on the road, or cell phones, or anything else that will accomplish this objective. Section IX - Safety Drills A. Safety drills, including the use of the emergency door of the bus, shall be conducted at least twice each year. At least two bus aides or driver's helpers should be selected for each bus to assist the driver in case of emergencies. They should be instructed regarding the location of emergency equipment and the proper placement for safety reflectors. Section X - School Closings A. With the complexity of the school transportation program, much has to be taken into consideration before a final decision is made to close schools either before school starts in the morning or during the day once students
are in school. The following procedures will be followed in the Kewaunee School District if a storm develops: 1. Weather forecasts and road conditions will be checked well in advance of any closing of school. 2. Announcements of closing of school will be made via area radio stations as soon as the decision to close is made. These stations may include but need not be limited to WCUB Manitowoc (980 AM), WDOR Sturgeon Bay (93.9 FM), WIXX (101.1 FM) and WGEE Green Bay (970 AM). 3. If weather is questionable and there is a delay in dispatching buses, announcements will be made as to when the buses will be sent out. If buses have not been dispatched by 10:00 a.m., then school will remain closed for the remainder of the day. If school is delayed, AM four-year old Kindergarten/early childhood classes will be cancelled. 4. The final condition under which school might be closed would be a storm developing during the day and students would start home early. If this condition develops, the area radio stations would be used to alert parents and the following procedures will be used: a. Afternoon four-year old Kindergarten/early childhood classes will be cancelled. b. regular buses.
Activity buses will not run and students will go home on
c. Closing time for each individual school will be determined by the bus schedules and all students will be dismissed. The final decision for closing schools rests with the Superintendent of Schools. Section XI - Audio/Visual Equipment A. Audio/Visual equipment may be used on all school buses to monitor student behavior.
