FILE: EDD
SCHOOL BUS SCHEDULING AND ROUTING
The Richland Parish School Board shall provide school bus transportation for all students living more than one mile from the school that they are assigned to attend. Students living within one mile of the school may be allowed to ride a school bus when the School Board determines that conditions exist to warrant such transportation. Other students may be provided with school bus transportation in accordance with regulations of the Louisiana Department of Education.
The Richland Parish School Board shall require all student transportation bus scheduling and routing to be under the direction of the Supervisor of Transportation. Decisions regarding appropriate location of all stops shall be primarily based on the safety of the students. Main thoroughfares, lack of sidewalks, railroads, and other hazards shall be considered in any decisions regarding bus stops.
Each bus operator shall establish a reasonable time schedule for each route and shall be expected to adhere to this schedule. By the same token, students shall be expected to be at their respective bus stop five (5) minutes prior to when the bus arrives. Once a bus route has been established by the Supervisor of Transportation, the bus operator shall not alter or change assigned routes without order of the Supervisor of Transportation.
Buses must be routed so that no more than one bus will travel the same route, except in cases of definite apparent necessity. Each scheduled route will be planned in full consideration of the established limits for individual schools.
All deviations from this policy must be brought to the School Board's attention for review and consideration prior to implementation.
During inclement weather bus operators may make more frequent stops.
LOADING AND UNLOADING OF STUDENTS
The loading and unloading of students onto and from school buses being utilized to transport students shall be conditional on the following:
Bus operators shall be prohibited from loading or unloading students at school while the bus is in a traffic lane of any type of street as defined in state law and require that students be loaded or unloaded on a shoulder, in a school parking lot, or at other appropriate off-road location at the school as determined by the School Board. This requirement shall not apply if the shoulder of a municipal road is the only available alternative and the municipality has not made the shoulder available by designating that area for loading and unloading students during designated school zone hours.
Bus operators shall be prohibited from loading or unloading students at or near their homes while the bus is in a traffic lane of any type of street as defined by state law and it shall be required that students be loaded or unloaded on a shoulder, unless the School Board determines the unloading on a shoulder is less safe for the student. However, if there is no shoulder, or if the shoulder is determined to be less safe, a bus operator may load and unload a student while the bus is in a lane of traffic but only if the bus is in the lane farthest to the right side of the road so that there is not a lane of traffic between the bus and the right-side curb or other edge of the road.
Bus operators shall be prohibited from loading or unloading a student in a location on a divided highway such that a student, in order to walk between the bus and his/her home or school, would be required to cross a roadway of the highway on which traffic is not controlled by the visual signals on the school bus.
Street or highway means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place of whatever nature publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for the purpose of vehicular travel, including bridges, causeways, tunnels, and ferries.
Revised: August, 2010
Revised: October 13, 2015
Ref: La Rev. Stat. Ann. ยงยง17:158, 17:493.1, 32:1
Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 10-13-15
Richland Parish School Board