School Bus Rules

APS provides bus transportation to students based on the distance from the student's home address to the nearest entrance of the school building.

General Information

APS does not provide school bus transportation to transfer students.
The bus driver cannot change the bus route.
The driver cannot accept any notes authorizing them to drop off students at a point other than the student's regular stop.
Students will not be transported to or from daycares outside of the home address school boundary.

Bus Transportation is provided based on distance from the school of residence
Student Type	Distance
High School	More than 2 miles from their school of residence.
Middle School	More than 1.5 miles from their school of residence.
K-8 School	More than 1.5 miles from their school of residence.
Elementary School	More than 1 mile from their school of residence.
Transfer Students	APS does not provide school bus transportation to transfer students.

Remember

Riding the school bus is a privilege
APS buses travel 27,256 miles daily. That is equal to going 1.07 times around the circumference of the earth daily!
Riding on a school bus is the safest form of student transportation "to and from" school!

General Rules

Students will be picked up and dropped off only at their assigned stops.
The school bus will leave the school bus loading zone seven minutes after the bell rings in the afternoon.
Middle and High School Students are required to show their school identification cards upon request.
The school bus driver will assign seats to students.

Safety Practices

Students need to be cautious in the bus loading zone.
A school bus driver will not stop for students who have missed the bus once it is in motion.
No glass items, live animals, or dangerous objects will be transported on the school bus.
Instruments can be taken on the bus as long as the instrument can be held and does not take up a seat.
Large items may not block the aisle or exits of the bus.

Student's Responsibilities

Arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes before stop time.
Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the doors are opened before approaching the bus.
Use the handrail. Be careful that no clothing or belongings get caught on the handrail.
Sit in their assigned seats.
Sit on the seat facing forward, feet on the floor, and speak in a normal tone of voice.
Follow the driver's directions promptly.

Discipline Plan

The principal/designee at the school will address referrals from bus drivers according to their school bus discipline plan.
The principal/designee has the authority to suspend a student from the bus and determine the length of the suspension.
Severe disruption and dangerous behavior will result in immediate suspension of school bus privileges.
All rules listed in the APS Student Behavior Handbook will apply on the school bus.
Concerns can be addressed with your school administration, the school bus contractor or Student Transportation Services (STS).

Special Needs Transportation

Special needs transportation will be provided according to terms identified in a student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Communication between a student's school bus driver and their parent/guardian is encouraged so that the student's IEP plan is implemented effectively.
Transportation forms must include all information to ensure the safe transportation of students.
Buses will wait a maximum of two minutes for student loading. If the student requires a wheelchair, the bus will wait a maximum of seven minutes.
Students will not be transported to or from daycares outside of the home address school boundary.

Providing Transportation for Students in Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs should be transported in a forward-facing orientation.
Securement systems for wheelchairs should be used in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and recommendations and should include an occupant restraint of a minimum of a lap/shoulder belt and a 4-point wheelchair tie-down.
Wheelchairs designed for transportation safety have a securement point called “transit options,” which will be labeled appropriately. The manufacturer’s designated securement point shall be used.
On wheelchairs without the transit options, points are frequently located just below the seat of the wheelchair on non-detachable structural frame members. In addition, the following beneficial criteria should be taken into account:
1. Welded sites are preferred; but
2. Frame members held together with hardened bolts are acceptable.
Rear tie-down straps should be anchored directly behind the securement point on the wheelchair, with the front straps angled slightly outward to increase stability.
A lap belt must be installed on the wheelchair and student secured with the belt before being put onto the lift. The belt should be secured by the parent/guardian when picking up from home and the teacher/EA when picking up at the school.
The lap portion of the occupant restraint system should be threaded through the space between the armrest and the seating frame to achieve proper placement low over the hipbones of the occupant. The lap belt should never be placed over the armrest or with the belt assembly twisted. When optimally placed, the belt’s webbing bottom edge should be touching the occupant’s thighs. When looking at the lap belt’s path to the floor from the side of the chair, the belt should be angled between 45 and 75 degrees to the horizontal. When using an integrated system (in which the occupant restraint is attached to the rear tie-downs of the wheelchair securement system), the rear wheelchair securement site must be selected with this in mind. Whether using an integrated or a parallel system (in which occupant restraint belts are separate from tie downs belts). At no time should the occupant ever carry the load of the wheelchair or its tie-down system. The occupant must be secured separately from the wheelchair and its tie-downs.
Proper positioning for the shoulder restraint is over the shoulder and across the upper chest or torso of the occupant when connecting it to the lap belt.
On a tilt-in-space wheelchair, the four sites must be either on the base of the wheelchair or on the seat/frame portion of the chair. For example, it is not effective to have the front hooks on the base of the chair and the rear hooks on the seat/frame portion of the chair since that combination would create a “teeter-totter” effect.
Wheelchair securement must not be attached to the crossbar, since this may cause the wheelchair to collapse.
Homemade brackets are never acceptable. Securement and restraint systems installed to secure wheelchair/mobility aids and to restrain the occupants should be used altogether and in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Students will not be transported to or from daycares outside of the home address school boundary.

Student Transportation Handbook

The Student Transportation Handbook covers eligibility, discipline, schedule for snow days/delays, stops/routes, evacuation drills, activity trips, students receiving modified services, and student/parent responsibilities.

This page was last updated on: September 29, 2011.