McDade ISD

bulldog GENERAL TRANSPORTATION GUIDELINES

(All Grade Levels)

The school bus is considered an extension of the classroom; therefore, the bus driver has the same authority as a teacher. All rules and regulations of the school district shall apply. Additionally, students will need to abide by the following regulations and guidelines.

School-Sponsored Trips

Students who participate in school-sponsored trips are required to use school-provided transportation to and from the event. However, in accordance with campus procedures, a parent may provide written consent for his or her child to ride with, or be released after the event, to the parent or another adult designated by the parent. [Refer to School-Sponsored Field Trips in the Student Handbook]

Buses and Other School Vehicles

The district makes school bus transportation available to all students living two or more miles from school and to any students who are experiencing homelessness. This service is provided at no cost to students.

Bus routes and stops will be designated annually. Any subsequent changes will be posted at the school and on the district’s website. For the safety of the driver and all passengers, students must board district vehicles only at authorized stops and drivers must unload passengers only at authorized stops.

A parent may designate a child-care facility or grandparent’s residence as the regular pick-up and drop-off location for his or her child. The designated location must be an approved stop on an approved route. For information on bus routes and stops, or to designate an alternate pickup or drop-off location, contact Terry Johnson @ terry.johnson@mcdadeisd.net or (512) 273-2522 EXT 1506.

Students are expected to assist districgt staff in ensuring that buses and other district vehicles are clean and safe. When riding in district vehicles, students areheld to behavioral standards established in this handbook and in the Student Code of Conduct. Students must:

Follow the driver’s directions at all times.
Enter and leave the vehicle in an orderly manner at the designated stop.
Keep feet, books, instrument cases, and other objects out of the aisle.
Be courteous, use no profane language.
Do not eat or drink on the bus.
Not deface the vehicle or its equipment. The student or their parent / guardian must pay for damage to the bus by a student.
Not put head, hands, arms, or legs out of the window, hold any object out of the window, or throw objects within or out of the vehicle.
For the safety of all bus riders, the following items will not be permitted on the bus: weapons, drugs, tobacco products, e-cigarettes, live animals, glass containers, and flammable materisls.
Observe all usual classroom rules.
Remain seated while the vehicle is moving.
Fasten their seat belts, if available.
Wait for the driver’s signal upon leaving the vehicle and before crossing in front of the vehicle.
Follow any other rules established by the operator of the vehicle.
If a student misses the bus, it is the responsibility of the parent to provide transportation to or from school We recommend the parent/guardian instruct the student on the procedure to follow if the bus is missed.
Premission to ride another bus or to use another bus stop may be approved ONLY by completing a bus stop change request form.

A child must be 5^th grade or above to be released from the bus without a guardian present at the bus stop. If a child is in 3^rd or 4^th grade, a guardian may present a letter requesting for the child to be released from the bus without a guardian present. Any child 2^nd grade and under may not be released from a bus without a guardian present at the stop. If a child 4^th grade and under is on the bus with a sibling that is 5^th grade or above, then the child may be released from the bus with that sibling. For student safety we encourage parents to meet ALL of their children at the bus stop.

Misconduct will be punished in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct, including loss of the privilege to ride in a district vehicle.

[Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for provisions regarding transportation to the DAEP].

Removal from the School Bus

A bus driver may refer a student to the principal’s office or the campus behavior coordinator’s office to maintain effective discipline on the bus. The principal or campus behavior coordinator must employ additional discipline management techniques, as appropriate, which can include restricting or revoking a student’s bus riding privileges.

Since the district’s primary responsibility in transporting students in a district vehicle is to do so as safely as possible, the operator of the vehicle must focus on driving and not have his/her attention distracted by student misbehavior. Therefore, when appropriate disciplinary management techniques fail to improve student behavior, or when specific misconduct warrants immediate removal, the principal or the campus behavior coordinator may restrict or revoke a student’s transportation privileges, in accordance with law.

Procedures for Bus Discipline

First Offense – Warning to five days suspension from the bus.

Second Offense – Five to thirty days suspension from the bus.

Third Offense – Suspension from the bus (with requested hearing) for the remainder of the semester (not to be less than thirty days).

Note: A campus administratormay alter discipline for any offense depending on the severity of the incident.

General Transportation Guidelines

Guias Generales de Transporte