5.1 Student Eligibility for School Transportation Service

Riding a school bus is a privilege for legally-enrolled students who reside one and one-half (1.5) miles or more by commonly traveled road from the school to which assigned by attendance zone. Each eligible rider and his/her parent or legal guardian must read and sign the official bus permit to receive service.

Students who are authorized riders should be assigned to bus loading stops located within one-half mile distance from their normal residence. Students are to board buses and depart from buses only at home, at a designated bus stop, or the school where in attendance.

Kindergarten Transportation Service: One-way transportation may be provided eligible kindergarten students, either to school in the morning or to home in the afternoon. Kindergarten transportation service shall be provided only as part of the scheduled morning and evening bus operations.

Transferred Student Transportation Service (Neighboring District): A legally transferred student residing outside the school district, and otherwise eligible for transportation services, may be transported to school, provided the student meets and boards the bus at a designated loading point in the Broken Arrow School District. A bus route shall not be extended to meet students living outside the authorized transportation area. Parent/legal guardian must get approval from Transportation Services before bus service begins. This is done on a space availability basis and may be revoked upon notice to student, parent or guardian.

Transferred Student Transportation (Intra-District): The duty to provide transportation for a child who is granted an intra-district transfer is that of the parent and/or guardian. A student who is transferred to another school within the school district as the result of a parent or guardian-initiated request may be granted transportation services only if eligible for services at the original school, and only if the regularly-scheduled bus serves both schools. Transfers must be pre-approved by the transportation department and are approved on a space availability basis.

Special Education Transportation Service: Transportation for eligible special education students will be provided when transportation has been identified as a "related service" necessary to enable the student to receive the educational services outlined in the student's individualized education program (IEP).

Students Attending Day Care Centers: The school district is not authorized to provide transportation of students from day care centers to school or from the school to day care centers. The duty to provide transportation for a child in a day care center is that of the day care center and/or parent.
In the event of an emergency, upon written authorization of the building principal, a student may be granted temporary permission to depart and/or load a bus at an alternate, but regular, bus stop.

Principals are to attempt to prevent unauthorized riders from boarding buses. An effort is to be made to prevent the use of buses by unauthorized riders crossing to another part of the city or another school to attend non-school meetings. Courtesy transportation is provided only for school-related activities.

For students who reside one and one-half (1.5) miles or more from the school to which assigned, the distance from home to school shall be determined by the following process:

1. Measurement is to be made along the commonly traveled road, or combination of roads, streets, highways, and public paths; and,


2. Measurement shall be determined from a point in the street immediately in front of the school's main entrance to a point in the center of the street at the intersection with the driveway in the front of the student's residence.
3. The decision to transport students who reside less than one and one-half (1.5) miles to schools in areas where unsafe conditions exist, will be the responsibility of the director of transportation.

The Student Management Program is implemented through Transportation Services. Students may be assigned specific seats or even lose their bus riding privileges if safety rules are violated. Both students and drivers are subject to being videotaped while on the bus.

Source: Board of Education policy adoption, September 20, 1982; amended February 6, 1984, modified October 7, 1996