FILE:  ED

Cf:  EDCA

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

The Richland 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 Superintendent.  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 contract bus operators, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  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.

All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned bus operator 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 shall at all times be driven by operators 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.  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.

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 PURCHASES

It is the policy of the Richland 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 School 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 bus operator 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.

ACCIDENTS

Every bus operator shall be required, when possible, to promptly report any bus accident to the Transportation Supervisor.  Any part of the vehicle rubbing, scraping, or touching other objects (other than bushes, overhanging limbs, etc.) or vehicles that results in damage to the vehicle shall constitute an accident.

Revised:  November 6, 2000

Revised:  February, 2001

Revised:  October, 2006

Revised:  October 17, 2023

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, 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, §2903, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 11-6-00, 10-10-06, 10-17-23

Richland Parish School Board