Transportation

Our goal is to provide safe, reliable and efficient transportation to students who live in our school district.

Approximately 18,400 students (including nonpublic students) who reside within SoWashCo Schools boundaries will attend school this year. Roughly 14,000 will ride a school bus to and from school. We work to ensure that students arrive at school ready to learn!

Your Child's Bus Route information

Bus route information is viewable online through Campus Parent Portal.

Non Public schools will initially share bus information directly to parents and parents can contact the Transportation office throughout the year.

Families with students on Special Education Bus routes can contact Transportation by calling 651-425-5303 and choosing option 1.

Contact

Department of Transportation
651-425-5303
transportation@sowashco.org

Special Education Bus Attendance

Please call 651-425-5303 if your student will be absent from Special Education transportation. Please press 1 on the main menu for Special Education Routing.

Notice - Special Education transportation

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bus stop process and procedures

Transportation Guidelines

Students that Qualify for Transportation Services

Grade	Guidelines
Grades PreK-5	School bus transportation will generally be provided for elementary students who live more than one mile from their boundary school.
Grades 6-8	School bus transportation will generally be provided for middle school students who live more than one-and-a-half miles from their boundary school
Grades 9-12	School bus transportation will generally be provided for high school students who live more than two miles from their boundary school.
Choice Programs	School bus transportation will generally be provided for students attending Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion Elementary School and live more than one mile from the school. School bus transportation will generally be provided for students attending the multiage program at Valley Crossing Elementary School and live more than one mile from the school.

*Please note: Transportation boundaries are subject to change. Open enrolled and intra-district transfer students (students attending a school other than their boundary school) whose parent/guardian has signed a waiver of transportation are not eligible for transportation services regardless of the distance.

Bus Ridership

Busing information will be communicated before the start of school each year. Students must ride their assigned bus to and from school.

Students should be out at their assigned bus stop five minutes prior to their scheduled pickup time. Bus route numbers and descriptive pictures will be placed on the side of the bus.

At the discretion of the bus driver, students may be assigned seats at any time. Students are expected to abide by all school bus safety rules, which are posted in every bus. Students in grades K-10 must attend school bus safety training within the first six weeks of school each year. This training is scheduled during the school day.

Bus stops may be removed from a route if there have been no riders using the stop for ten consecutive days.

Bus Routes

Bus routes are arranged according to geographic area and stops are assigned one to three blocks from a student's home whenever possible.

Students that attend a school whose boundaries cover a large geographic area (i.e. Neuves Fronteras, Math and Science Academy, nonpublic) will be assigned to a station stop. Station stops are assigned based upon the number of students in an area or neighborhood. They are generally within two to four blocks of a student's home and are often centrally located to keep student riding time at a minimum.

State guidelines recommend that no student ride the bus more than one hour each way every day. Bus routes, bus stops and/or times may change during the year based upon student location, road construction projects and various other factors.

Bus Stops

Whenever possible, bus stops will be located at corners or intersections. Because of motorist expectations, bus stops at corners or intersections have been deemed the safest. When a bus stops mid-block it can confuse motorists, whereas traffic anticipates the bus will stop or yield at intersections. It also provides the bus driver or substitute driver a landmark (intersection) to identify prior to making the stop so the eight-lamp system can be properly activated to warn the motoring public. This also allows the bus driver to scan the area for students when approaching the intersection.

The designated area that students wait for the bus must be within a bus length to the corner (about 40 feet). The bus driver will designate this area and then communicate this to students. State law and School Board Policy states students can walk up to one mile to a bus stop.

Bus Stop Criteria and Information

SoWashCo Schools' buses will use the eight-light system and stop arm at all stops unless an exception is made in policy or the stop is documented with an explanation. In order to properly operate the eight-light system, a bus stop will not be made within 300 feet of another.
Buses serving students with disabilities may stop while using their 4-way hazard lights only at house stops where it takes an extended period of time to load/unload the student. At these stops, the bus will pull over to the curb at the driveway, the student will not be allowed to cross the roadway. Buses will not go into the student's driveway, unless prior approval has been given. The bus horn will not be used to announce arrival.
Buses will not generally travel down cul-de-sacs unless the vehicle is picking up a student with special needs. Backing up a school bus is a dangerous maneuver. A full-sized bus needs 115 feet to safely turn and most cul-de-sacs are only 90 feet wide.
Unless prior approval has been granted by the transportation department, school buses will not travel on private roads.
Bus stops should be located with clear visibility for 300 feet in both directions. Stops in a residential area where the speed limit is 35 mph or less may not be located within 100 feet of each other.
Stops in or out of residential areas where the speed limit is 35 mph or greater may not be located within 300 feet of each other.
School Buses may load/unload in right-turn lanes if pre-approval has been given. Students may not cross the road the bus is stopped on when the bus stop is located in a right turn lane.
There is not a fixed number of students that warrant adding or moving a bus stop. All bus stop change requests are evaluated on an individual basis.
Visibility from the home to the bus stop is not a criteria for establishing bus stops. We view bus safety as a shared responsibility with families and we rely on families to ensure a student's personal safety to and from the bus stop.
Stranger-Danger criteria is a considerable factor only when documented and verified by the transportation department with a law enforcement agency.
A student's assigned bus driving by their home does not warrant adding or changing a bus stop. The higher frequency of stops can make the motoring public 'impatient', causing motorists to drive around the bus, which is a greater safety concern than the distance a student has to walk to the bus stop. A high number of bus stops also contributes to longer riding time for students.

Open Enrolled and Intra-District Transfer

Nonpublic School Students

Special Education Bus Attendance

Transportation To / From Daycare

The following daycare information will apply:

Students in grades PreK-5 are eligible to be considered for an alternate bus stop for daycare purposes.
The licensed daycare provider must be located in the same boundary school attendance area where the child is enrolled.
The pickup and drop off location must be the same location each morning and each afternoon. We cannot accommodate day variant scheduling. Licensed daycare transportation options are:
- Pickup at home → drop off at daycare
- Pickup at daycare → drop off at daycare
- Pickup at daycare → drop off at home

To request an alternate bus stop near a licensed daycare location, please fill out the Alternate Bus Stop Request Form and submit it after July 1 of each year.

Alternate Bus Stop Request Form

We are committed to providing safe transportation to all students by following our bus stop process and procedures.

bus stop forms

Please review the following criteria and information before making a bus stop change request. If there are circumstances beyond what is described here, please complete one of the relevant forms below:

Once the appropriate form is submitted, a Transportation Department representative will contact you within 3-5 business days (please allow more time during late August-early September).

Please submit one request. Submitting multiple requests for the same change will delay the process. Please note: School bus drivers do not have the authority to change bus routes or student stops.

Alternate Bus Stop Request

Complete the Alternate Bus Stop Request form only if your student requires busing from an address other than their home address such as daycare. If an alternate bus stop is approved, the student will be assigned an existing alternate bus stop. ***Daycare stops are only available for students in PreK-5th grade and must be within the boundary of the student's assigned school. See: Bus Stop Process and Procedures for additional information.

Form

Alternate Bus Stop Address

Please review the following criteria and information before making a bus stop change request. If there are circumstances beyond what is described here, please complete one of the relevant forms below:

Once the appropriate form is submitted, a Transportation Department representative will contact you within 3-5 business days (please allow more time during late August-early September).

Please submit one request. Submitting multiple requests for the same change will delay the process. Please note: School bus drivers do not have the authority to change bus routes or student stops.

Non-Resident Busing Request Form

Request to Decline Transportation Service

Please identify what level of school bus transportation your child will NO LONGER need for the 2021-22 school year. ONLY Transportation eligible families that know they will NOT be using Transportation on SoWashCo Schools buses should complete this form. Students who decline bus service may re-establish bus service at any time during the school year by contacting the Department of Transportation at 651-425-5303. A change in bus service may take five to seven days to implement.

Form

Decline transportation form

Safety Review of Current Bus Stop

Type III Transportation Training (for staff only)

Statute regulates how students are transported in a traditional passenger vehicle for curricular and extra-curricular activities. When used for student transport, these vehicles are referred to as Type III School Buses. South Washington County Schools developed our Type III training program to align with these state requirements. Type III vehicles used to transport students by a driver certified by this training program, may only transport from site to site and never to or from a home or residence.

To learn more about the training required to drive one of these vehicles or to complete training.

Statute regulates how students are transported in a traditional passenger vehicle for curricular and extra-curricular activities. When used for student transport, these vehicles are referred to as Type III School Buses. South Washington County Schools developed our Type III training program to align with these state requirements.

Type III vehicles used to transport students by a driver certified by this training program, may only transport from site to site and never to or from a home or residence.

The Type III program specifies that

ALL vehicles used MUST be inspected annually by the state patrol, outfitted with the proper safety equipment and have a 10 passenger rating or less. For these reasons, South Washington County Schools must provide the vehicle for Type III use. A personal vehicle or rented vehicle is not allowed.
ALL Type III drivers MUST be trained and evaluated (ride-along) annually (380 days)
The driver of the Type III vehicle must not have been hired to have the primary job responsibility to drive the vehicle.

To be a Type III driver for SWCS you must

Attend an in-person Type III training course at Transportation and complete online training every year after.
Complete an annual driving evaluation ride-along with a transportation trainer after completing the training. -These evaluations will take place at Transportation M-F between 10am and 1pm. A trainer will email you to schedule after successfully completing the in-person or online refresher training. The driving evaluation takes approximately 45 minutes.
Be a district staff member/coach and have completed a district background check prior to training.
Drivers must submit their Driver's License number for an internal confidential review of their driving record. If you hold a licence outside of MN or WI, you will be required to obtain a driving record from your state prior to training.
Attend additional training if you choose to tow a trailer with a Type III vehicle.
Immediately report all moving violations (includes your personal vehicle outside of work). Complete the form: Type III violation and submit to asmith2@sowashco.org within 10 days of conviction.

Vehicles Available

Our district has two Type III vans at each high school and several other vans are available as needed through the Transportation department.

For van availability please contact: the specific High School Activities Department or the Transportation Dispatcher at 651-425-5303.

Vehicles from outside of the district such as personal or rental vehicles are prohibited as all vehicles MUST be inspected annually by the MN State Patrol under the district's DOT #.

Questions?

Type III program administrator: Andy Smith 651-425-5309 asmith2@sowashco.org

Complete this form to register

For initial training or to complete annual refresher training.

IMPORTANT: The form will guide you based off of your answers. Be sure to read each page carefully and follow any necessary links to the next training segment; which may be a link on the submission confirmation page or presentation. The time required to complete the form entries are:

New Drivers: 5 mins
Renewal Drivers: 60 mins
Please make sure you allow time for completion.

Field Trip Transportation Request (for staff only)

Safe routes to school

What is Safe Routes to School

Why Does SoWashCo Schools Participate in Safe Routes to School

Keeping all children safe on the school commute is a priority and a shared community responsibility. South Washington County Schools joined the Safe Routes to School initiative to engage public safety, families, and other community members and organizations to seek collaborative solutions on safer and healthier school commutes.

School parking lots and nearby roads were not created for the number of family cars waiting in line every day at drop off and pick up times. Traffic congestion problems are compounded by unsafe driving behaviors and valuable district and Public Safety resources are called upon to mitigate safety concerns.

Rethink Your School Commute

Rethink your school commute patterns and the choices open to your family. Review the preferred travel choices below that will lead to less automobile traffic at your school and improved safety conditions and air quality for everyone.

Participate in Bike and Walk to School days to experience conditions around the school and learn about best practices liking a walking school bus.

There are many ways that you can contribute to greater health, wellness, and safety through the Safe Routes to School program.

If you live in walking boundaries consider a walking school bus, which is an adult-supervised walk with two or more families from your neighborhood.
If you are assigned a school bus please utilize this free service
If you must drive help reduce the number of cars in the drop off or pick up sites by:
- Utilizing an alternate drop off or pick up site, if provided by the school
- Turn off your engine while waiting in line, don't idle
- Drive carefully and observe school procedures and laws
- Only use single family drop-off for occasional personal needs

Get Involved with Safe Routes to School

Talk with your building principal or a district Safe Routes To School coordinator to help coordinate school activities
Participate in or volunteer at a school on Walk or Bike to School days
Start a walking school bus with friends or neighbors, if possible
Work with your school to promote the Safe Routes to School mission and activities
Become more aware of commutes and safety and make recommendations for low-cost improvements
If you are a business, donate incentives and/or volunteer at Bike and Walk to School Days

What are Walk and Bike to School Days

Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities. Over time, this event has been part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school.

Today, thousands of schools across America and in more than 40 countries worldwide celebrate walking to school every October.

Biking to School day was added in 2012. While the focus of each day may be different, all forms of non-motorized transportation are encouraged.

Benefits of Safe Routes to School Choices

Walking / biking to school is healthy and fun, where possible.
When adults are out and about with kids, neighborhoods are more connected, safer and more fun.
More children on the bus, walking/biking and carpooling means less road congestion and safer conditions.
Children breathe cleaner air with decreased automobile emissions and learn green, sustainable value

school bus conduct

Please remind student to follow bus safety and behavior rules. Any misbehavior or inappropriate actions will be addressed by the bus driver and/or reported to the Department of Transportation for follow up. Consequences for misbehavior will be implemented and may include assigned seating, parent contact, principal contact, bus suspension, school detention and/or removal of all transportation privileges.

School Bus Safety Rules
Student Transportation Safety Policy

School Bus Safety Rules

Please take the time to review the bus rules with your student to ensure all students have a safe and comfortable ride to and from school. Also, yearly training to all students is provided which includes bus rules, safe riding expectations and emergency evacuations process. Together we are committed to partnering with parents and school staff to guarantee the safe transport of the students we serve.

Be on time and be clear of the "Danger Zone"
Follow the driver's instructions while riding
Remain seated and facing forward at all times
Fasten your seatbelt, if equipped
Your head and arms must remain inside the bus
Cell phones are allowed, but taking photos or recording with any device is not
Be courteous of one another. Bullying will not be tolerated
Please eat and drink before getting on the bus
Help keep the bus in good shape by clearing your personal items (including trash) and treating the bus as your own
Please do not throw objects inside or out of the bus
Like in school, dangerous objects or weapons are not allowed
If needed, the bus driver will assign seats.

Student Transportation Safety Policy

school bus safety

Tips for Students and Caregivers

Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. To keep buses and routes running on time please do not wait in a car or house. Students are most easily seen at the bus stop.
When at the bus stop, please stand at least three giant steps (six feet) away from the curb. The bus stop is not a place to run or play.
When the school bus arrives, wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay before approaching the bus door. Use the handrails to avoid falling.
When getting off a bus, look for any cars passing on the shoulder. Wait for the bus driver to signal that it’s safe to cross. Look left-right-left when coming to the edge of the bus to make sure traffic is stopped. Keep watching traffic when crossing.
Never walk behind a school bus. Walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street. Cross the street in front of the bus with at least five giant steps (10 feet) between the front of the bus and you. If you drop something near the school bus, like a ball or book, tell the bus driver immediately. Do not try to pick up the item because the driver might not be able to see you.

Tips for Motorists

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urges all motorists to drive safely and to remember these rules about school bus safety:

Be alert and slow down when driving in neighborhoods with school zones.
Watch for children walking, playing or assembling near bus stops. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
Obey the school bus laws in your State, as well as the "flashing signal light system" used for school buses.
Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.
- Yellow lights are flashing PREPARE to stop.
- Red lights are flashing = STOP 20+ feet from the bus or more.
- Red lights are off =PROCEED with caution.

STudent Bus Safety Training

Student Safety Training
Items Not Allowed on School Buses

Student Safety Training

By law, students in kindergarten through third grade are required to receive classroom training on school bus safety and understand the competencies by the third week of school. Students in grades four through ten must have school bus safety training and understand the competencies by the sixth week of school.

The competencies of school bus safety training are:

Transportation by school bus is a privilege and not a right
District policies for student conduct and school bus safety
Appropriate conduct while on the school bus
Danger zones around a school bus
Procedures for safely boarding and leaving a school bus
Procedures for safe street or road crossing
School bus evacuation and other emergency procedures
Appropriate training on the use of lap belts or lap and shoulder belts, if the district uses buses equipped with belts.

Items Not Allowed on School Buses

Safely transporting our students is our top priority. Therefore, the Transportation Department has developed guidelines for items that can and cannot be transported on a school bus.

Any item brought onto the bus must fit next to the student on the seat (if there is adequate seating space available),between their legs, or on their lap. The student is responsible for holding onto that item for the duration of the ride. The aisle and all emergency exits must remain unobstructed at all times.

Items not allowed on district buses:

Any form of weapon, knives, guns or bullets (including toy weapons and weapon look-a-likes)
Flammable or hazardous materials and liquids (including typical household cleaners and hairspray)
Any animal
Any item that obstructs the aisle or emergency exits of the bus
Any item that cannot be properly stowed by the student
Any large item not used for curricular or extracurricular use
Skis, snowboards, sleds, lacrosse sticks, hockey sticks, golf clubs and other similar sporting equipment
Over-sized band or orchestra instruments that cannot be easily stowed between the student's legs.
- NOTE: Smaller musical instruments will be allowed if enclosed in a case, properly stowed between the student's legs or on their lap, (if there is adequate seating space available).
Items such as loose baseball bats, skateboards and skates.

join our team

Are you looking for a rewarding job with competitive pay and benefits? If so, Transportation would love to have you on the SoWashCo Schools team! We are currently hiring bus drivers, we will fully train you to become a great bus driver. SoWashCo Schools is a great place to work with a strong sense of community, but the best part of the job is the students! Just ask those who work here.

Apply

Your Child's Bus Route information

Contact

Special Education Bus Attendance

Schools/Routes Canceled due to Power Outages

bus stop process and procedures

bus stop forms

Safe routes to school

school bus conduct

school bus safety

School Bus Safety Tips

STudent Bus Safety Training

join our team