FILE:  E-3

Cf:  E-3.1

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

The Central Community 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 School Board and outlined in the Central Community School Board Student Transportation Handbook.  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 Board or a contract bus company, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the contract bus company shall notify the Superintendent or designee immediately. 

All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once by August 1 and certified as safe prior to the beginning of the school session, and once by February 1 of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station.  Buses fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students.  No bus shall be operated without a proper inspection tag certifying that a bus has met or exceeded minimum safety standards.

All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by drivers possessing a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) 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 Superintendent or designee.

USE OF VANS FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Students being transported for any extracurricular school activities shall generally always be transported in a yellow school bus as specified in federal and state guidelines.  Students shall not be transported in a van or minivan, even for groups of less than ten (10) students, unless it is constructed to meet state and federal student transportation requirements.  The only exception to this requirement is a lease of available motor coaches by approved commercial transportation companies.

BUS PURCHASES

It is the policy of the Central Community School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the system shall meet current statutory requirements for motor vehicles and shall meet Louisiana specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured.  All bus purchases shall require prior approval of the School Board.

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 determined from the date of introduction of the model year.  This shall apply to all buses purchased by the contract bus company, and by the School Board, for the purposes of transporting children to and from school and school-related activities and for use as spare buses.

When a new bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, the new bus owner shall assure that the bus is in compliance with all requirements contained in applicable laws and school district regulations.  All buses so purchased shall be required to satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage.

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, 17:158.7, 17:159, 17:159.1, 17:159.2, 17:160, 17:161, 17:162, 17:163, 17:164, 17:165, 17:166, 17:492, 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, §701, §2501, §2903, Louisiana Department of Education

Central Community School Board