Special Needs Students

At the beginning of your students’ transportation service you will receive a packet of information. This will include a signature page for you to complete and return to your students’ transportation staff within five school days.
The driver is not allowed to use the horn or to phone your home to announce the arrival of the bus.
Drivers and assistants are not permitted to walk to your door in either the morning or afternoon.
Assistants may walk across the street with passengers who need assistance.

Morning (AM) Pick Up

Please be ready five minutes ahead of your scheduled pickup time. Have passengers outdoors in plain view of the bus driver, at their bus stop.
Drivers will wait two minutes after the scheduled pick up time before leaving unless someone comes to the door of the bus to advise the driver that the passenger will be boarding the bus shortly. Drivers may not be able to wait much longer than two minutes if waiting will make the bus late on the rest of its route.
If your student will not be riding the bus, please call one hour before scheduled pickup time. If a student does not ride the bus for two consecutive school days without notification from the parent/guardian, services will be discontinued. To resume service please contact the transportation department.

Afternoon (PM) Drop Off

Please have someone available to meet the bus at the drop off location at the release bell time for your students’ school. Special needs routes may run early when not all students ride.
A student may be left with a designated neighbor or at home alone only if it is designated in the student’s Infinite Campus or completed parent packet.
If a student may not be left alone and no one is at the designated drop off point to receive the student, Transportation will:
- Call the school location and return the student to the school.
- If no contact can be made with the school the bus will bring the student to the bus terminal. If the parent/guardian cannot be contacted, we will call the appropriate police/social services agency.

Transportation appreciates, if possible, that the same bus stop location be used for both morning and afternoon. If approved, the pick-up address may be different from the drop-off address as long as it remains consistent Monday thru Friday.

Changes to a Route

For transportation changes concerning student information, please contact a member of your school’s Special Education Team. They will provide this information to the appropriate Special Education Coordinator and a new IEP form will be completed. After this form is received by transportation, it could take up to three to five school days for service to begin.
The transportation staff will attempt to contact the parent/guardian by telephone with the new route information.

Medication and Personal Belongings

To insure all proper personnel are informed of the medication, medications need to be delivered to the school directly by the parent/guardian.
Send all other belongings in a bag. Send any loose money in an envelope.
Mark all bags, envelopes, etc. with student’s name.

Clothing and Food

Students need to be dressed appropriately for weather conditions. Students may have to wait outside for the bus either at home or at the school in inclement weather.
Please be sure students are not wet or soiled.
Because of the danger of choking, we prefer students not eat or drink while on the bus. Allowances may be made if the student’s IEP or a doctor’s written request indicates that eating or drinking for medical purposes should be allowed on the bus.

Special Equipment

Wheelchairs, walkers, or other devices, in which the passenger(s) ride in or on, or equipment that might need to be transported on the bus, must be in good repair.
Wheelchair brakes must be in good working condition and kept locked while the chair is on the bus. For the safety of all passengers we recommend that all battery-powered devices utilize gel type batteries in lieu of lead-acid batteries.
Wheelchairs and other seating devices must be equipped with appropriate belt(s) to hold the passenger in their device. Velcro-type fasteners are not sufficient. Belts must be fastened when riding on the bus.
Mobility devices may be subject to inspection and manufacturers suggestion.
Please wash wheelchairs on a regular basis to help keep them clean of spilled foods, body waste, and other bacteria-promoting substances.