8640 - TRANSPORTATION FOR NON-ROUTINE TRIPS

The Board of Education may use school buses and/or alternative vehicles other than school buses (e.g., vans) for transportation of passengers for purposes other than regularly scheduled routes to and from school (e.g., on field trips and other District-sponsored trips). Pre-trip inspections will be conducted and trip permits will be issued according to State regulations. 

School buses may include Multifunction School Activity Buses ("MFSAB"), which meet all school bus construction standards but are not equipped with traffic control devices. Alternative vehicles may include passenger vehicles designed by the manufacturer for nine (9) passengers or less (not including the driver). MFSAB’s and alternative vehicles may only be used for point-to-point transportation and are prohibited from dropping off or picking up students at other locations, such as their homes. 

The transportation for all field trips and other District-sponsored trips is to be by vehicles owned or approved by the District and driven by approved and qualified drivers. Exceptions must have the approval of the Superintendent.

The Board shall provide the vehicles for all other trips, including co-curricular, athletic, and other extracurricular trips, but a mileage charge and personnel charge shall be assessed to cover the cost of the driver and fuel. This charge is to be paid by the sponsoring organization from a designated fund.

Transportation may be limited by the availability of vehicles, drivers, and scheduling, and will not be available when needed for general school purposes.

All field trips shall be supervised by members of the staff. All other District-sponsored trips shall be supervised by either staff members or adults from the sponsoring organization, as approved by the Superintendent. Any time students are on the vehicle, at least one (1) sponsor, chaperone, or staff member is expected to ride in the vehicle, as well as to supervise students upon return to the District and while they are waiting for rides home. A person holding a current bus driver or motor van certificate may serve as a chaperone and driver concurrently.

Students may be permitted to eat and/or drink on the bus for non-routine trips during which the students on the bus are supervised by a chaperone(s).

All students are expected to ride the approved vehicle to and from each activity. A special request must be made to the staff member or sponsor by the parent, in writing or in person, to allow an exception.

District students not affiliated with the trip activity, nondistrict students, and/or children of preschool age shall not be permitted to ride on the trip vehicle without prior approval of the Principal.

No student is allowed to drive on any trip. An exception may be made by the principal on an individual basis, provided the student's parent(s) provides written authorization and release from liability using Form 5515 F2 - Parental Authorization and Release From Liability Form and does not transport any other student and does not transport any other student without the parent(s) of the student to be transported in such vehicle providing written authorization and release from liability using Form 5515 F2 - Parental Authorization and Release From Liability Form. In addition, the parent(s) of the approved student driver must provide written authorization for the student to transport others and release from liability using Form 5515 F2 - Parental Authorization and Release From Liability Form.

The Superintendent may enter into a contract with a public or private not-for-profit agency, group, or organization, with a municipal corporation or other political subdivision or agency of the state, or with an agency of the Federal government to operate its buses to assist the agency, group, organization, or political subdivision in the fulfillment of its legitimate activities and in times of emergency. The District may recover expenses from contracting entities, not to exceed the cost of operation and insurance coverage. 

The Superintendent shall prepare administrative guidelines consistent with this policy.

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