FILE:  ED

Cf:  EDCA

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

The Sabine 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 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 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.  Students shall not be allowed to ride to and from school on any bus other than the one they are assigned to ride each day, except for legitimate reasons.

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 buses used to transport students, including activity and backup buses, shall not be more than twenty-five (25) years old.

All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by operators, 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 Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119.  All school bus operators, including contract bus operators, shall be required to personally operate the school bus assigned or owned, except in case of illness or emergency.  In such cases, a substitute shall be assigned by the Supervisor of Transportation.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The use of any van (cargo or passenger) in any capacity for the purpose of transporting students to and from any school-related activity shall be prohibited.  However, the use of Multifunction School Activity Buses (MFSAB) is allowed for transporting students to activities.  Although classified as buses, they may not be used for transporting students between home and school bus stops.

BUS INSURANCE

All vehicles, owned by either the school district or contract bus operators, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  The School Board provides automobile insurance for all School Board-owned vehicles.  Contract bus operators may participate in this policy if they so choose, and will be charged their respective premium.  However, any bus operator choosing to provide his/her own insurance coverage, shall, ten (10) days prior to the commencement of each school year, provide the Supervisor of Transportation with a copy of his/her insurance policy covering a full year and a paid receipt for the policy.  Failure to comply with this regulation shall result in suspension without pay of the bus operator until such time as the regulation is complied with.  Contract bus operators 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.  Each policy must provide the minimum coverage listed below:

BUS PURCHASE

The Sabine Parish School Board shall designate the size of the bus to be used on each official regular bus route.  When a school bus operator deems it necessary to purchase a bus, either new or used for not more than ten years from the date of manufacture, of the designated size to be used on an official regular school bus route, the bus operator shall obtain the approval for the purchase by the Sabine Parish School Board.  After purchasing a new or used bus that is not more than ten (10) years old, so approved, no school bus operator shall be penalized as a result of the change by the School Board in the designated length of the route within a five (5) year period following such purchase of a bus.  However, the period shall be seven (7) years for those operators who purchase a new bus.

A new bus operator employed is not under obligation to purchase the bus of a former operator of said route.  Upon retirement or resignation from a school bus operator position, the Transportation Committee and Supervisor of Transportation serving as direct representatives of the Sabine Parish School Board would secure no less than two (2) quotes on said vehicle providing that the vehicle meet the ten (10) year date of manufacture.  The new bus operator would then have the option of making a purchase at a fair market price or making a purchase at another place.

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

No bus purchased 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 shall be more than ten (10) model years old.

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, 17:162, 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, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 9-15-76, 9-10-96, 10-9-23

Sabine Parish School Board