FILE:  ED

Cf:  EDC

 

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

 

 

The St. John the Baptist 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 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.  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 anyone else, which are to be used to transport students shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  Contract bus drivers 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 drivers, 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, except in emergency situations which shall be approved by the Superintendent.  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.

 

INSPECTIONS

 

All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned driver 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 fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students.

 

School Board Inspections

 

To ensure the operating condition of all buses, the following inspection policy shall be followed:

 

  1. All buses shall be inspected at least twice per month by the Supervisor of Transportation or his/her assistant.
     

  2. An inspection log shall be maintained in the bus documenting the time and date of each inspection.
     

  3. The inspection shall include:  the cleanliness of the bus, the mechanical soundness/safety of the bus (both exterior and interior) and the appropriate documents (pre/post trip inspection forms, bus rosters, proof of insurance, etc.).
     

  4. If the bus fails any part of the inspection, the Supervisor of Transportation shall take the appropriate remedial action.
     

  5. It shall be the responsibility of the bus driver to arrange for these inspections.

 

BUS PURCHASES

 

It is the policy of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the parish 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 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 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.

 

When a new bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, the driver 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.

 

Replacement of Buses

 

The Board shall attempt to replace up to 10% of its fleet annually.  In order to receive new buses for the start of school, in January of each year, the Board shall start the purchase process for new buses.  This process shall be started only if a funding source is identified.

 

When the Board buys new buses to replace old buses, the replacement shall be in accordance with the following:

 

  1. The oldest active bus, by year model, shall be replaced by the newly purchased bus. Once a bus is replaced, it shall be retired from the active fleet and become part of the spare pool.  Once retired, it cannot be replaced again.
     

  2. In the event that two (2) or more buses are of equal age and due to be replaced, the bus with the oldest engine shall get replaced.
     

  3. In the event that two (2) or more buses are equal in both model year and engine age, the mechanic(s) shall recommend to the Superintendent which bus needs to be replaced by the service log, mechanic’s knowledge of the vehicle, and the cost effectiveness of maintenance.  The Superintendent shall make the final decision.

 

ASSIGNMENT OF DRIVER TO BUSES

The driver shall be assigned to a specific bus until a new bus replaces the current bus. 

 

If a driver requests a transfer to another route and is granted approval, the driver and the assigned bus shall move to the new route.  The bus that is open for assignment shall move to the vacant route.

 

Any time a new bus is bought which increases the size of the fleet, the bus shall be assigned to the driver with the greatest seniority currently driving a bus seven (7) years or older in age.

 

Revised:  November, 1993

Revised:  August, 2000

Revised:  July, 1996

Revised:  June, 2001

Revised:  December, 1997

Revised:  October, 2003

Revised:  October, 1997 

Revised:  August, 2004

Revised:  February, 1998

Revised:  April, 2006

Revised:  July, 1999

Revised:  September, 2007

 

 

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, 17:161, 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

Board minutes, 6-6-96, 11-6-97, 12-17-98, 5-3-01, 6-17-04, 8-2-07

 

St. John the Baptist Parish School Board