7105                                       Use of School Transportation Services                              7105

The Board shall provide a system of transportation for eligible students.  The Superintendent shall prepare supplementary rules and regulations to govern the operation and use of buses in conformity with state statutes and regulations.

1. Definitions:
1. School bus: as used in this policy, “school bus” is defined as the yellow public school buses.
2. Activity bus: “activity buses” are used for non-instructional activities and are normally painted white, green, or other colors, to distinguish them from school buses.
3. Contracted services: services provided by private contractors under contract with the Board for transportation of students in small buses or automobiles;
4. Voluntary transfer: transfers approved in response to requests by parents or legal guardians for students to attend schools other than their assigned base school.  Reference Board Policy 6203—Transfer of School Assignment.
5. Students with disabilities: students who qualify as disabled under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
6. Draw area: a designated set of nodes (geographic areas used for student assignment) that are assigned as the application nodes from which families can apply to a magnet school or calendar school.
7. Grandfathering: an approved transfer request to remain in the current school based on special provisions by the Board of Education for families in specific nodes impacted by a Board-approved reassignment for the next school year.

2. State funded transportation services:
1. State-supported transportation shall be limited to those services for which funds have been budgeted.
2. School buses may be used only for purposes expressly allowed by G.S. 115C-242.
3. School buses may be used in case of emergency, in accordance with G.S. 115C-242.
4. State-operated yellow school buses may be used for instructional programs directly related to the school curriculum when the trip and the use of the bus are approved in accordance with board policy:

·   Transportation shall be available only to students, teachers, and approved supervisory personnel and only for an instructional program directly related to the school curriculum, in compliance with G.S. 115C-242.

·   Examples of such instructional programs include: field trips, vocational programs, and after school activity buses.

5. All costs of field trips are to be paid from the school’s funding sources. School buses may not be used for athletic activities or extracurricular activities.
6. Pupils who live outside Wake County will not be transported on school buses.

3. Locally funded transportation services:
1. All other transportation shall be operated from local funds.
2. As funding permits, activity buses meeting federal safety standards may be used for travel to athletic activities and travel to other approved school-related activities.

4. Eligibility for school bus transportation:
1. Students assigned to base schools which are located more than 1-1/2 miles from their residence are eligible for transportation to the base school (GS 115C-242, 246).
2. The superintendent or designee may provide transportation services within 1-1/2 miles in the following situations:

·   When factors are present that may endanger the safety of students walking to the school (Refer to R&P 7105).

·   Students who are medically certified as temporarily incapacitated.

3. Students who are assigned to a school because of a voluntary transfer (including “grandfathered” students) are not eligible for transportation.
4. Eligibility for transportation for students attending magnet or calendar option schools is determined by the draw areas defined for each school.
5. Students who are entitled to transfer to a designated school under the provisions of No Child Left Behind are eligible for transportation.
6. Students will be transported to and from only one address, which is the address submitted when the student is registered.
7. Transportation for students with disabilities:

·   Unless special transportation is required as a related service as determined by the student’s IEP or 504 plan, the criteria for eligibility for transportation services listed above for transfer students apply to students with disabilities,

·   If transportation cannot be accommodated by the school system’s bus fleet, the board may contract with private carriers or with parents/legal guardians to provide service.

8. Transportation will be provided to homeless students in accordance with the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act.

5. Applications for transportation of ineligible students:
1. The Superintendent or designee may consider applications for transportation services for ineligible students in extenuating circumstances.
2. The request must be submitted using the Transportation Service Request form, which is located on the WCPSS Transportation web site. (Refer to R&P 7105).
3. If the request is denied, the parent may seek review of the decision in accordance with Policy 6520, Student Grievances.