Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

School districts are NOT required by law to transport regular education children. Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 380.1321 outlines the obligations of the school district IF its board of education elects to provide transportation. Under Article 3 of the Revised School Code, the school district is obligated to provide for the transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Planning committee (IEPC) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student’s IEP.

There are no special laws or regulations for transporting regular education students enrolled in kindergarten. If your district provides transportation, it will be provided in accordance with the requirements of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local District policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.

No law specifies the maximum distance a student may walk to the bus stop.

District policy states that the walk area for the High and Middle Schools is 1 ½ miles from the school. The walk area for elementary students is 1 mile from their assigned school.

The lights on a school bus which are used to notify other traffic of an upcoming stop must, by law, be activated 200 feet from the stop. Thus, bus stops must be a minimum of 200 feet apart.

It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. The school district provides transportation as a non-mandated service and establishes placement of the bus stops in accordance with the requirements of the law.

There is no maximum riding time in the law for children in kindergarten through grade twelve. Child care licensing regulations establish a maximum riding time of 60 continuous minutes for the transportation of preschool children.

Many things can affect the arrival time of the bus: traffic, weather, road conditions, timepiece dicrepancies on a particular day. We require that students be out at the bus stop at least 10 minutes before the scheduled/estimated arrival time of the bus. Also, please be sure your child is waiting outside and not in the house or in a vehicle.

Any additional time spent at a bus stop will delay the pickup time for stops farther along the bus route. For example: an extra 30 seconds per stop will add five minutes to the route time ten stops down the road. A few seconds can have a big impact on the rest of the route.

We do not allow bus passes. Students are only allowed to ride the bus to which they are assigned. Also, they are only allowed to get off the bus at their assigned bus stop.

Because of space and safety concerns, skateboards, snowboards, skis and other large equipment items are not allowed on the bus. Balls are allowed only if they will fit completely into a student’s backpack and must remain in the backpack while on the bus. Skates are allowed if they are in a bag made specifically for them.

Our policy is that for permanent bus assignments, if your child doesn’t ride for ten consecutive school days, and Transportation department doesn’t receive a phone call, we will not stop again until we hear from you.  A phone call from you if your child isn’t riding is greatly appreciated and can save time, and unnecessary miles traveled.